Ash Wednesday – 2022
Archive for
Feb 28
“Fat Tuesday”
In Louisiana, Mardi Gras is celebrated the day before Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras began as a festival to enjoy the things a person was “giving up” for Lent. During the parades, beads are tossed from the floats to the onlookers.
Okay, let’s talk about what happens after Mardi Gras. The day after Mardi Gras – tomorrow – is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. Lent is a season of the church that we use to concentrate on the suffering of Christ. People “give up” something, usually a sweet food, a bad habit, etc. for the 40 days, representing Christ “giving up” his life for us.
What is the difference between a crucifix and an empty cross? The empty cross represents Christ’s resurrection. The crucifix represents Christ’s choosing to suffer for us.
Christ didn’t have to die on the cross, He could have saved Himself, but He chose to die for our sins.
Prayer: Dear God, help us to remember during Lent, and always, of Christ’s suffering for us. Amen.
Fat Tuesday – Booster or Buster?
Key Bible Verse: You yourselves are our witnesses—and so is God—that we were pure and honest and faultless toward all of you. – 1 Thessalonians 2:10
Bonus Reading: Ephesians 4:17-24
All too often, when talking with a guy who’s a believer, I hear statements like, “W
e had a great service last weekend. Pastor hit the nail on the head. I’d be there this Sunday, but I’m going to Vegas.”
For me, hearing this statement is like scratching a fingernail across a chalkboard. I know that are some decent shows there, but when I hear “Vegas,” my mind goes to gambling, sensuality, and organized crime. “What happens here stays here.” Sin City.
I believe when most unbelievers hear statements like this or “I’m going to Mardi Gras” they have the same reaction. It’s a witness buster. An unbeliever can conclude, “He’s just like me” or “He’s worse than me.” It will at least arouse his suspicion. Christ doesn’t appear to be directing and altering that person’s life. Multiply this statement by thousands like it across our country, and the gospel is severely undermined.
How much better for an unbeliever to hear, “This weekend I’m going on retreat to a Christian camp to recharge my batteries. It’ll be a lot of fun too.” Or “A bunch of us guys from church are going to repair a home for a single mother this weekend. We’re looking forward to helping her out.” Witness boosters.
—James Hilt in Wisconsin
My Response: How do my pursuits validate or cast doubt on my faith claim?
Prayer for the Week: Lord, give me the discernment and determination to make my conduct consistent with my beliefs.
Central Church – Online Worship Service – Transfiguration Sunday – 2-27-2022
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AND…
To begin, simply click on one of the links below to join with the folks who have already made their way into our digital Sanctuary. You can find this week’s online worship service on both Facebook and YouTube at the following coordinates: (If the video doesn’t come up after clicking on the link, just copy and paste the address into your browser search bar.)  Central Church
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On this sunny fourth Sunday in February, when the coronavirus prevents many of us from gathering in Central Church’s Sanctuary to worship in body, let us join together in spirit with our online worship service.Believe the Best – Silent Treatment
Who Said It…Ron Jenson
Ron is chairman of Future Achievement International, a personal leadership development organization. He also leads High Ground, a non-profit organization focused on mutual support between business leaders worldwide, and Christians in Business International.
He has sold over 700,000 audiotapes, and speaks internationally. Dr. Jenson lives in San Diego and has co-authored one of his books, Fathers and Sons (Broadman & Holman), with his adult son, Matt.
What He Said…Silent Treatment
When I was the president of a graduate school, I’d encouraged my staff to serve their customers (students) by being attentive and supportive.
During a staff meeting someone came in and told me, “You’re urging us to serve the students, but I was just in the bookstore and the manager wouldn’t even talk to the students. They asked questions and all he did was to point them toward various resources.”
I was livid. I marched to the bookstore to chew out the manager. Right before I got to the store, my vice president for the bookstore division passed me. I stopped him and said, “Gus, I want you to come with me. Your bookstore manager is being so insensitive to some of our students, he’s not even talking to them.”
“Ron, he has laryngitis!” Gus responded.
Man, did I feel small and stupid. I’d assumed the worst.
Trusting one another is about having enough faith in the other person to put aside any assumptions.
Adapted from Jesus Up Close (Tyndale, 2001)
Prayer for the Week: Lord, you received me when I was down and out. Help me to accept others in the same spirit.
Target Your Missions Petitions – Pray for Boldness
Key Bible Verse: Pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should. – Ephesians 6:20
Bonus Reading: 1 Thessalonians 2:1-3
Fear can be crippling. For weeks after the robbery of her car at gunpoint, one missionary colleague feared to leave the safety of her home at night.
It became a very real challenge to participate wholeheartedly in the ministries in which she served, especially in light of the fact that the people to whom she ministered were part of a night-oriented culture. In such circumstances, missionaries need the prayers of their partners for fearlessness in sharing the gospel.
On one occasion our youth drama team was the first group allowed to perform in the main square of a city we’d entered. The city, known for its rugged and independent individuals, had very few evangelicals and had in the past been hostile toward any group that openly proclaimed the gospel.
Knowing that we would need a special God-given boldness to take advantage of the opportunity we’d been afforded, we spent much time in prayer. God answered those prayers and calmed our doubts and fears. In spite of hecklers, a car accident that took place as we performed our drama, and the loud music of a nightclub nearby, we were able to share testimonies of the transforming power of Christ in our lives.
—Dwayne Buhler in EMQ
My Response: I’ll pray for calm courage for a missionary in a threatening situation.
Thought to Apply: For five years we never went outside our doors without a volley of curses from our neighbors.—C.T. Studd (British missionary to Central Africa)
Adapted from EMQ (Evangelical Missions Quarterly, 1/04)
Prayer for the Week: Lord, help me to grasp the critical needs of one missionary well enough that You can specifically respond to my prayers on his behalf.
COVID-19 – Beaver County Metrics – 2-24-2022
Here are the weekly COVID-19 statistics for Beaver County, PA as of February 24, 2022, with both indexes continuing decreases from record highs, although still at high levels.
- The Incidence Rate decreased from 212.3 to 160.4 (a decrease of 51.9, or 24.4%) in the HIGH category.
- The PCR Positivity Rate increased from 13.9 to 11.2 in the HIGH category.
(Allegheny County’s figures also remained high during the past week, moving from 147.0 to 85.7 and from 11.4% to 7.5%.)
This week’s readings indicate that the latest infection wave from the Omicron variant is receding from the record-high levels of the past 6 weeks.
Beaver County is now classified as SUBSTANTIAL on the original PA DOH scale and HIGH on the CDC scale.
On April 5, 2021, the CDC issued a “Science Brief” outlining that, in addition to people becoming infected through contact with contaminated surfaces or objects, the principal mode by which people are infected with COVID-19 is through exposure to respiratory droplets carrying infectious virus.
- Small Group Meetings (Sunday School, AA, other meetings):
The current guidance on when and how gatherings can take place is based upon the threshold of infection rate.
For Indoor meetings/Sunday School to resume, the 7-day average of daily cases for gatherings that include unvaccinated folks should be:
-
- 1.5-2.0 – for everyone except those at high risk; and
- Less than 1.0 for those at high risk.
- Our current level is 22.9, so resuming small group meetings may not be feasible for the foreseeable future.
As the pandemic continues, we are continuing our efforts to:
-
Disinfect Central Church prior to every worship service and feeding ministry event using EPA-registered products in compliance with CDC standards to kill germs and reduce the risk of spreading infection, and in compliance with EPA criteria for use against SARS-COV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19; and
-
As our community COVID-19 levels continue to deteriorate, we have significantly expanded our new medical-grade HEPA-13 air filtration equipment in our Sanctuary, which is rated to remove COVID-19 from the air, which now provides 10.7 complete air changes every hour in our Sanctuary (every 6 minutes)!
-
In addition, our Parlor, Church Office, Pastor’s Office, UMYF Meeting Room, Fellowship Hall, and Nursery all offer even higher levels of air changes per hour using HEPA-13 or HEPA-14 filtration.
-
(5 air changes per hour is the EPA’s general recommended standard, and the EPA now recommends 8-15 air changes per hour in Churches. )
Central Church
Target Your Missions Petitions – Pray for Clear Communications
Key Bible Verse: Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should. – Colossians 4:4
Bonus Reading: 1 Corinthians 14:6-11
In Rome, Paul wasn’t addressing his audience in his mother tongue. His prayer request for clarity wasn’t just about making a suitable defense to his accusers. He was soliciting divine help for addressing the spiritual condition of his hearers.
This prayer request obviously applies to those learning a new language. Clarity of expression means much more than knowing how to buy goods or exchange money in the marketplace. It involves cultural understanding, application of idiomatic expressions, gestures, and tone of voice. Because language learning involves becoming childlike and relying upon the help of others, it’s a task not easily accepted by those with many years of education and ministry experience behind them.
This request isn’t limited to missionaries in their first term of service. No matter how long a missionary has served, his adopted language is still his second language. When he is tired or under the attacks of the enemy, speech doesn’t necessarily flow easily in the same manner as with the mother tongue. Even veteran missionaries need God’s help in talking to heart issues and adequately conveying the life-transforming good news of Christ to a people.
—Dwayne Buhler in EMQ
My Response: I’ll pray for one missionary friend to become proficient in his target group’s heart language.
Thought to Apply: His colloquial Turkish was famous, and he knew the folklore, the emotional reactions, and religious beliefs of the people. —Friend (speaking of Lyman MacCallum)
Adapted from EMQ (Evangelical Missions Quarterly, 1/04)
Prayer for the Week: Lord, help me to grasp the critical needs of one missionary well enough that You can specifically respond to my prayers on his behalf.
Target Your Missions Petitions – Prayers for Missionaries
Although Paul was a missionary pioneer, he was no lone ranger. He was keenly aware of his need for prayer backing. In his letters to young congregations, he typically solicited their prayers for him. His requests tell us a lot about how we should be praying for the gospel ambassadors we know today.
Interact with God’s Word
Colossians 4:2-4; Ephesians 6:19-20; 2 Thessalonians 3:1-2
- Why do you think an alert mind is required (Col. 4:2) for effective intercession?
- What might devoting yourself to prayer involve in your case?
- How can you counter the out-of-sight-out-of-mind tendency (Col. 4:3) in your praying?
- What clues does Paul’s request for bold witness in confinement (Eph. 6:19-20), instead of release from it, give you about how you should pray for those in unsettled situations?
- Are you aware (2 Thess. 3:1) of areas where the Lord’s message is spreading rapidly? How about areas where it appears to be stalled? How should you pray for each?
- Recognizing that missionaries are on the “front lines” of spiritual warfare (2 Thess. 3:2), what kind of “prayer cover” is essential?
Spend Time in Prayer: Ask God to help you discern specific real needs of a Christian worker and persistently pray for His answers.
2 Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. 3 Don’t forget to pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to preach about his secret plan—that Christ is also for you Gentiles. That is why I am here in chains. 4 Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should.
19 And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words as I boldly explain God’s secret plan that the Good News is for the Gentiles, too. 20 I am in chains now for preaching this message as God’s ambassador. But pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should.
1 Finally, dear brothers and sisters, I ask you to pray for us. Pray first that the Lord’s message will spread rapidly and be honored wherever it goes, just as when it came to you. 2 Pray, too, that we will be saved from wicked and evil people, for not everyone believes in the Lord.
Prayer for the Week: Lord, help me to grasp the critical needs of one missionary well enough that You can specifically respond to my prayers on his behalf.
Target Your Missions Petitions – Pray for Protection
Key Bible Verse: Pray, too, that we will be saved from wicked and evil people. – 2 Thessalonians 3:2
Bonus Reading: Romans 15:30-32
I don’t know how many times my wife and I have looked at each other and exclaimed, “There must have been people praying for us!”
One such experience was in the fall of 1994. I had a number of errands to run and had taken our daughter with me to give my wife some time alone. I first went to the bank near our Porto Alegre home and encountered a terrible line-up at the tellers. Like any North American, I chafed over the wasted time and the difficulty of keeping a three-year-old entertained in the line.
When we finally got out of the bank, we headed for item two on my list—send some letters. We headed on foot for the post office, and were surprised to see three or four police cars and an ambulance parked nearby. When I enquired, I learned that 20 minutes before there’d been an armed robbery, with shots fired and two customers injured.
Looking at my watch, I realized that a bank line-up had saved us from being in the line of the robbery fire! That night we gave thanks as a family for bank line-ups, for God’s perfect timing, and for the many people we knew were praying for our personal safety.
—Dwayne Buhler in EMQ
My Response: I’ll pray for safety and physical and emotional health for a missionary friend.
Thought to Apply: One feels a deep, inward consciousness that though we are absolutely shut off from every human help, yet we have protection more secure than any consul can afford.—Alexander Mackay (missionary to Uganda)
Adapted from EMQ (Evangelical Missions Quarterly, 1/04)
Prayer for the Week: Lord, help me to grasp the critical needs of one missionary well enough that You can specifically respond to my prayers on his behalf.
Target Your Missions Petitions – Pray for Responsiveness
Key Bible Verse: Pray first that the Lord’s message will spread rapidly and be honored wherever it goes. – 2 Thessalonians 3:1
Bonus Reading: 1 Thessalonians 1:5-10a
Among some peoples the gospel, which is the power of God to change lives, has moved in and made wonderful transformations. Other groups—in large, sprawling cities as well as distant jungles—are hostile, untrusting, and unresponsive to missionary efforts. Many resistant peoples still have little or no visible Christian church.
Missionaries go out in God’s power, knowing they aren’t always guaranteed success but longing to see the hearts and minds of the people they’ve come to love changed, to see whole cultures bend their knee to the lordship of Christ.
Jack Campbell, a missionary to Guinea, West Africa, shared the joy of seeing a substantial number come to the Lord from the tribal group with which he works. Fifty years of previous missionary efforts had produced only a handful of believers. The turning point, he says, was when a large group of people began to fast and pray specifically for the responsiveness of this tribe.
So pray that your missionaries may find the favor and love of the people to whom they minister. Pray that the gospel will be fruitful and well received among them, as it was with you.
—Dwayne Buhler in EMQ
My Response: I’ll ask God to direct a missionary friend to someone whose heart He has already prepared.
Thought to Apply: I don’t know how to make a man think seriously about sin and judgment, and must look to the Holy Spirit for any such working.—Jim Elliot
Adapted from EMQ (Evangelical Missions Quarterly, 1/04)
Prayer for the Week: Lord, help me to grasp the critical needs of one missionary well enough that You can specifically respond to my prayers on his behalf.
Target Your Missions Petitions – Pray for Opened Doors
Key Bible Verse: Pray … that God will give us many opportunities to preach about his secret plan. – Colossians 4:3
Bonus Reading: Acts 16:6-10
I asked people to commit to praying for opened doors for the ministry I served in Porto Alegre, Brazil. A small group began to pray specifically for this.
God surprised us by the doors He opened in response to the prayers of our partners. The opportunity to work together with Campus Crusade for Christ and use the Jesus film with many other Christians in our city was indeed a welcomed window of opportunity that we hadn’t anticipated.
We saw another door opened when a senator welcomed us and worked with us in seeing an outreach planned for high-level city and state government officials.
What we experienced in the unity and fruitfulness of the Jesus Film Project in 1998 can only be explained by the people praying for such open doors.
Many doors remain closed. Some are large and reflect the greatest challenges for the church in the new millennium. These are the nations and people groups where access is restricted or hindered.
Some doors represent influential people in a city or tribal situation. These unopened doors present a tremendous opportunity for God’s people to enter into a prayer partnership with missionaries, seeing them opened to the gospel.
—Dwayne Buhler in EMQ
My Response: I’ll pray for one closed door to open for a missionary I know.
Adapted from EMQ (Evangelical Missions Quarterly, 1/04)
Prayer for the Week: Lord, help me to grasp the critical needs of one missionary well enough that You can specifically respond to my prayers on his behalf.
The BF CDC to Honor Pastor Jan!
Pastor Jan has been selected as one of the individuals in Beaver Falls who is striving to foster positive change in our City.
The Beaver Falls Community Development Corporation has invited Pastor Jan to attend the General Membership Meeting on Tuesday, March 8 at 7 pm at The Well (the former First Christian Church) on the corner of 14th Street and 6th Avenue.
* Members and friends of Central Church are invited to attend the meeting where she will be honored on Tuesday, March 8 at 7 pm at The Well (the former First Christian Church) on the corner of 14th Street and 6th Avenue.
A celebratory reception will follow the meeting.
Central Church
Central Church – Online Worship Service – 7th Sunday after Epiphany – 2-20-2022
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AND…
To begin, simply click on one of the links below to join with the folks who have already made their way into our digital Sanctuary. You can find this week’s online worship service on both Facebook and YouTube at the following coordinates:
(If the video doesn’t come up after clicking on the link, just copy and paste the address into your browser search bar.) Central Church
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Target Your Missions Petitions – Beyond Foggy Prayers
Who Said It…Dwayne Buhler
Dwayne and his wife Rhonda are Canadian missionaries currently serving with the Christian and Missionary Alliance in Mexico City. He directs the Leadership Training Institute know as CETA, which offers a program of evening and weekend classes that provide training for believers. They previously served in Brazil for ten years, and in Canada.
What He Said…Beyond Foggy Prayers
In the battlefield of today’s missionary efforts, Satan uses many weapons. At times these weapons are obviously directly sent from him to obstruct or discourage God’s messengers. Other times his weapons are people who are unaware that they are being manipulated to achieve his hellish goals. Many times his weapons are also subtle circumstances that dissuade, discourage, or distract the missionary from accomplishing God’s purposes.
That’s why prayer for missionaries mustn’t be a vague, uninformed exercise. “Lord, bless the missionaries, whoever they are, wherever they are, and whatever they are doing—I’m sure they need your help” isn’t an effective way to be a partner with God in and through missionaries. As a missionary I often struggle with the task of writing prayer letters that creatively communicate the very real needs that my family and I face. I desire to do so in such a way that their prayers and participation will be effective and rewarding. My experience is that when God’s people pray specifically, He answers those prayers specifically.
Adapted from EMQ (Evangelical Missions Quarterly, 1/04)
Prayer for the Week: Lord, help me to grasp the critical needs of one missionary well enough that You can specifically respond to my prayers on his behalf.
COVID-19 – Do you still need to wear a mask? This chart by an infectious disease expert can help you decide as mask mandates tumble
Tired of dealing with COVID-19? Who isn’t.
Will pretending that it’s gone protect you? Nope.
What to do? Look to the advice of health professionals as a good starting point.
- Mask mandates and coronavirus restrictions are tumbling, as the Omicron variant continues to recede.
- Infectious disease expert Katelyn Jetelina has created a framework for how to think smartly about when and where to wear a mask.
- It gives us a framework for how to “ride the waves,” as she puts it, of any potential coronavirus surges from here on out.
Beaver County, Pennsylvania – February 17, 2022
- Incidence Rate per 100,000 Residents – 212.3 (High)
- PCR Percent Positivity – 13.9% (Substantial)
According to Katelyn Jetelina’s chart, here’s where we in Beaver County should be right now:
- Wear masks indoors in public;
- Test if you develop symptoms;
- No indoor dining; and
- Indoor air filtration, (or open windows in February, if possible!).
For Sunday worship, please remember that Central Church:
** Disinfects prior to every worship service and feeding ministry event using EPA-registered products in compliance with CDC standards to kill germs and reduce the risk of spreading infection, and in compliance with EPA criteria for use against SARS-COV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19; and
** As our community COVID-19 levels continue to deteriorate, we have significantly expanded our new medical-grade HEPA-13 air filtration equipment in our Sanctuary, which is rated to remove COVID-19 from the air, which now provides 10.7 complete air changes every hour in our Sanctuary (every 6 minutes)!
** In addition, our Parlor, Church Office, Pastor’s Office, UMYF Meeting Room, Fellowship Hall, and Nursery all offer even higher levels of air changes per hour using HEPA-13 or HEPA-14 filtration.
(5 air changes per hour is the EPA’s general recommended standard, and the EPA now recommends 8-15 air changes per hour in Churches.)
Central Church
Raise Your Prayer Sights – …and More
Key Bible Verse: I assure you, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. – Matthew 21:21
Bonus Reading: Matthew 21:18-22
[continued from yesterday] President Museveni asked Bob to help organize a prayer breakfast for Uganda. People of every tribe, religion, and station attended. Speakers admitted the hate they’d held for others, and told how much they’d been changed by God.
Back in his office, Museveni asked Bob how he viewed the situation in South Africa. Bob replied that the country was heading in the right direction after releasing Nelson Mandela from prison. Museveni agreed. “I’m now chairman of the Organization of African Unity,” he said. “I want to send a delegation to South Africa to say that love and reconciliation are the answer to the bloodshed predicted for their country. What do you think?”
“That sounds like a great idea,” said Bob.
“Can you go? We need a white in the delegation to demonstrate our point.”
Bob went and met with Mandela, de Klerk, Buthelezi, and other leaders. He read 1 Corinthians 13, the Bible’s love chapter. Christians from Kenya, Zambia, and Uganda spoke of how forgiveness was critical to South Africa’s success. This message proved pivotal in that nation’s bloodless transition from white to majority rule.
Bob Hunter’s little group is still meeting to pray for Africa. And mountains keep moving!
—Luis Palau in It’s a God Thing
My Response: What “mountain” have I witnessed being moved in response to prayer?
Thought to Apply: Our prayers lay the track down which God’s power, like a mighty locomotive, can come.—Watchman Nee (Chinese pastor)
Adapted from It’s a God Thing (Doubleday, 2001)
Prayer for the Week: Lift my prayer horizons, Lord, above my own welfare to the expansion of Your kingdom.
COVID-19 – Beaver County Metrics – 2-17-2022
Here are the weekly COVID-19 statistics for Beaver County, PA as of February 17, 2022, with both indexes showing decreases from record highs, although still at very high levels.
- The Incidence Rate decreased from 430.1 to 212.3 (a decrease of 217.8, or 50.6%) in the HIGH category.
- The PCR Positivity Rate increased from 16.5 to 13.9 in the HIGH category.
(Allegheny County’s figures also remained high during the past week, moving from 174.6 to 147.0 and from 13.1% to 11.4%.)
This week’s readings indicate that the latest infection wave from the Omicron variant is receding from the record-high levels of the past 6 weeks.
Beaver County is now classified as SUBSTANTIAL on the original PA DOH scale and HIGH on the CDC scale.
On April 5, 2021, the CDC issued a “Science Brief” outlining that, in addition to people becoming infected through contact with contaminated surfaces or objects, the principal mode by which people are infected with COVID-19 is through exposure to respiratory droplets carrying infectious virus.
- Small Group Meetings (Sunday School, AA, other meetings):
The current guidance on when and how gatherings can take place is based upon the threshold of infection rate.
For Indoor meetings/Sunday School to resume, the 7-day average of daily cases for gatherings that include unvaccinated folks should be:
-
- 1.5-2.0 – for everyone except those at high risk; and
- Less than 1.0 for those at high risk.
- Our current level is 30.3, so resuming small group meetings may not be feasible for the foreseeable future.
As the pandemic continues, we are continuing our efforts to:
-
Disinfect Central Church prior to every worship service and feeding ministry event using EPA-registered products in compliance with CDC standards to kill germs and reduce the risk of spreading infection, and in compliance with EPA criteria for use against SARS-COV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19; and
-
As our community COVID-19 levels continue to deteriorate, we have significantly expanded our new medical-grade HEPA-13 air filtration equipment in our Sanctuary, which is rated to remove COVID-19 from the air, which now provides 10.7 complete air changes every hour in our Sanctuary (every 6 minutes)!
-
In addition, our Parlor, Church Office, Pastor’s Office, UMYF Meeting Room, Fellowship Hall, and Nursery all offer even higher levels of air changes per hour using HEPA-13 or HEPA-14 filtration.
-
(5 air changes per hour is the EPA’s general recommended standard, and the EPA now recommends 8-15 air changes per hour in Churches. )
Central Church
Raise Your Prayer Sights – …and More
Key Bible Verse: I assure you, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. – Matthew 21:21
Bonus Reading: Matthew 21:18-22
[continued from yesterday] President Museveni asked Bob to help organize a prayer breakfast for Uganda. People of every tribe, religion, and station attended. Speakers admitted the hate they’d held for others, and told how much they’d been changed by God.
Back in his office, Museveni asked Bob how he viewed the situation in South Africa. Bob replied that the country was heading in the right direction after releasing Nelson Mandela from prison. Museveni agreed. “I’m now chairman of the Organization of African Unity,” he said. “I want to send a delegation to South Africa to say that love and reconciliation are the answer to the bloodshed predicted for their country. What do you think?”
“That sounds like a great idea,” said Bob.
“Can you go? We need a white in the delegation to demonstrate our point.”
Bob went and met with Mandela, de Klerk, Buthelezi, and other leaders. He read 1 Corinthians 13, the Bible’s love chapter. Christians from Kenya, Zambia, and Uganda spoke of how forgiveness was critical to South Africa’s success. This message proved pivotal in that nation’s bloodless transition from white to majority rule.
Bob Hunter’s little group is still meeting to pray for Africa. And mountains keep moving!
—Luis Palau in It’s a God Thing
My Response: What “mountain” have I witnessed being moved in response to prayer?
Thought to Apply: Our prayers lay the track down which God’s power, like a mighty locomotive, can come.—Watchman Nee (Chinese pastor)
Adapted from It’s a God Thing (Doubleday, 2001)
Prayer for the Week: Lift my prayer horizons, Lord, above my own welfare to the expansion of Your kingdom.
This Sunday at Central – The Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany – February 20, 2022
Here are the Scripture readings for this coming Sunday, the seventh Sunday after the Epiphany – February 20, 2022:
– Genesis 45:3–11, 15
– Psalm 37:1–11, 39–40
– 1 Corinthians 15:35–38, 42–50
– Luke 6:27–38
The Sermon will be based on the reading from Luke.
This Sunday’s Scripture passages address questions relevant to our time: “How are we supposed to treat others?” and “Does God’s love extends to all?”
In Genesis, God sends Joseph into Egypt to save the world from famine.
The psalmist warns us not to grow angry because the wicked are prospering, for God will soon set everything right and give sinners their just desserts.
As we saw last week, Jesus’ sermon on the plain begins with blessings for the poor and suffering, and woes to the rich and comfortable. But this week’s continuation of that sermon moves beyond crime and punishment.
The Golden Rule teaches us to do unto others as we would have them do unto us—regardless of whether they are friend or foe, saint or sinner. Indeed, God is kind to even ungrateful sinners.
How we choose to focus these Scriptures determines how we answer the questions asked above. But Jesus makes clear that the crime and punishment paradigm has been replaced with the Golden Rule—no matter how annoyed and angry people make us.
Join us this Sunday in person at Central Church at 11 am or shortly thereafter online to explore what these passages have to say to us today for the way we should live.
Central Church
Raise Your Prayer Sights – One Mountain…
Key Bible Verse: If you had faith … you could say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it would move. Nothing would be impossible. – Matthew 17:20
Bonus Reading: John 17:20-21
[continued from yesterday] Bob took his first trip to Uganda to visit the hospital just as dictator Idi Amin was being pushed out. Convinced that helping the hospital was futile without working on reconciliation in the ravaged country, Bob met the parliamentary leaders friendly to the new president, Milton Obote, and those who opposed him. He found each side willing to meet with him but not with each other.
“Lord, how can we get these guys to sit together and heal their land?” he prayed.
The answer came quickly. Waiting for his plane during a layover at the Nairobi airport, Bob sat next to an American missionary. She was the daughter of Andrew Young, then mayor of Atlanta. She suggested that Bob call her father and ask him to visit Uganda. Bob called. Andrew Young agreed.
They started a process of reconciliation that included opposition rebels, one of whom, Yoweri Museveni, became president in due course. A Museveni adviser who believed in Jesus Christ met with Bob; they talked about forgiveness, reconciliation, and love for one’s enemies. President Museveni was persuaded to attend the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, where he acknowledged his own faith. [continued tomorrow]
—Luis Palau in It’s a God Thing
My Response: A time I sensed God using me in answer to prayer was …
Thought to Apply: History belongs to the intercessors who believe the future into being.—Walter Wink
Adapted from It’s a God Thing (Doubleday, 2001)
Prayer for the Week: Lift my prayer horizons, Lord, above my own welfare to the expansion of Your kingdom.
Raise Your Prayer Sights – Cover a Continent
Key Bible Verse: The longing of my heart and my prayer to God is that the Jewish people might be saved. – Romans 10:1
Bonus Reading: Matthew 9:35-38
“Pray for something bigger than yourself,” Doug Coe told Bob Hunter, a new Christian who asked his friend how to pray. “Pick a city like Washington, a state like Virginia, a country like Russia, or even a continent like Africa. If you stick with it for 25 years, you’ll see God move mountains.”
For some reason, the thought of praying for Africa stuck with Bob. He and one other man studied a map to learn the names of countries formed since they were in high school. Then they began praying for this vast continent. A couple of other men soon joined them.
Back in the 1970s Idi Amin was executing thousands in Uganda. So the group prayed in earnest for Uganda. They asked God to raise up a worker from its capital, Kampala, whom they could support.
Then Bob attended a retreat at a hotel. A group gathering after lunch to pray for Africa was joined by a missionary nurse not attending the retreat. It turned out she worked at Mengo Hospital in Kampala! Bob invited her to visit his family and go to church with them for “Missions Sunday.” When the scheduled missionary speaker failed to show, the nurse from Kampala took his place. Bob’s church soon made the hospital its ongoing project. [continued tomorrow]
—Luis Palau in It’s a God Thing
My Response: Something bigger than myself that I feel led to pray for is ____.
Thought to Apply: More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.—Alfred Tennyson (English poet)
Adapted from It’s a God Thing (Doubleday, 2001)
Prayer for the Week: Lift my prayer horizons, Lord, above my own welfare to the expansion of Your kingdom.
Raise Your Prayer Sights – Target Your Boss
Key Bible Verse: I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people … for kings and all others who are in authority. – 1 Timothy 2:1-2
Bonus Reading: 1 Timothy 2:1-4
Bad-mouthing a manager is commonplace today. Employees crack jokes and bash their leader out of lack of respect, distrust, and dislike. But this behavior only worsens what might already be a bad situation.
Imagine what work would be like if, instead, all the employees began praying for their leaders. If we all chose to lift up in prayer the people we feel at odds with, great things could happen, not just for them but for us as well.
Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 2:1-2 that we’re to pray for everyone. He singled out governmental authorities; but his directive could also apply to leaders in virtually all organizations.
Why pray for your boss? Because God allows us to help Him change people and situations. The more we acknowledge others in prayer, the more God will work in them and the circumstances surrounding them. God helps you through your prayers to see your boss through His eyes—and your heart will begin softening toward this person for whom you’ve previously felt anger, bitterness, or contempt.
Before you leave for work each morning, pray for your boss. This could avert a snide remark or words spoken in anger.
—Stephen Graves and Thomas Addington in Deep Focus
My Response: I’ll commit to pray weekly for ______, my supervisor.
Thought to Apply: God never gives us discernment in order that we may criticize, but that we may intercede. —Oswald Chambers (British teacher, chaplain)
Adapted from Deep Focus (Jossey-Bass, 2004)
Prayer for the Week: Lift my prayer horizons, Lord, above my own welfare to the expansion of Your kingdom.
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Raise Your Prayer Sights – Bless That Bozo?
Key Bible Verse: And so we keep on praying for you, that our God will make you worthy of the life to which he called you. – 2 Thessalonians 1:11
Bonus Reading: Colossians 1:9-12
I became close with five guys in a Bible study on our campus. But one evening a 6’5″ football player burst into our quiet gathering, extended his hand in all directions, and bellowed out his name. Big Wally was joining our group. During the weeks that followed, I listened resentfully to this primitive extrovert boom out his airhead religious views. Wally had ruined our tranquil, reflective atmosphere.
Fortunately, our study leader altered how we opened our sharing time. He asked us to pray silently for each group member, thinking of their needs and claiming God’s assistance in their lives. I prayed for the person on my right and left and then came to Wally, sitting across from me. I tried to pray about the biology test he was facing and the girlfriend who’d dumped him.
That simple act jolted me awake. I just couldn’t think of Wally in the same way. He required my help, and I needed his. I began to see things I admired in this guy. The more we prayed together, the more I came to like Wally, until one evening I found myself jumping on a sofa with him, wildly celebrating an answer to prayer. His raw enthusiasm had become infectious rather than offensive.
—Steven Mosley in Secrets of the Mustard Seed
My Response: Starting today, I’ll pray for _____, who rubs me the wrong way.
Adapted from Secrets of the Mustard Seed (Nav Press, 2002)
Prayer for the Week: Lift my prayer horizons, Lord, above my own welfare to the expansion of Your kingdom.
Central Church – Online Worship Service – 6th Sunday after Pentecost – 2-13-2022
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To begin, simply click on one of the links below to join with the folks who have already made their way into our digital Sanctuary. You can find this week’s online worship service on both Facebook and YouTube at the following coordinates:
(If the video doesn’t come up after clicking on the link, just copy and paste the address into your browser search bar.) Central Church
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Raise Your Prayer Sights – Visible and Vulnerable
Who Said It…John Stackhouse Jr.
John teaches theology and culture at Regent College, a graduate school of Christian studies affiliated with the University of British Columbia. He frequently comments on contemporary religion and culture in the news media.
John enjoys skiing the Vancouver-area mountains with his wife and three sons, and playing basketball and hockey with his students. He also loves to play jazz—on piano, guitar, or electric bass.
What He Said…Visible and Vulnerable
Are those currently riding high in Christian esteem immune to the sins that beset the rest of us?
Even in spiritual matters, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. The very traits that help people succeed make them vulnerable to pride, lust, and greed.
I remember a bishop respected for his compassion for the poor who confessed to financial mismanagement—and a Christian pop singer whose affair with another performer broke up her marriage. I’ve prayed for these and other disgraced heroes, those they hurt, and those left to pick up the pieces.
But I’ve resolved to pray regularly for several leaders who’ve blessed me and have not fallen. I pray that they’ll remain morally upright, care properly for their families, discern how God would best use them, and enjoy walking with Him more and more.
Whose ministry are you glad for? Your pastor? A local writer, speaker, or singer? A renowned Christian whose work has impressed you?
Why not select a few leaders to protect with your prayers?
Adapted from Faith Today (7-8/00)
Prayer for the Week: Lift my prayer horizons, Lord, above my own welfare to the expansion of Your kingdom.
Raise Your Prayer Sights – Constant Prayer
God’s ambassador, as Paul referred to himself, wrote his letters to the churches of Ephesus, Colosse, and Philippi from prison.
But his upbeat emphasis is on evangelism, discipling, and prayer. In this paragraph (and a parallel one, Colossians 4:24) he lets his readers know why intercessory prayer is vital.
Interact with God’s Word
- How can anyone pray at all times?
- How does the Holy Spirit empower your prayers?
- Are you praying for the growth of Christians you know?
- How can you pray for believers around the world?
- What two qualities did Paul single out (in. v. 18) as key in intercessory prayer?
- Why do you think these qualities are essential?
- What two prayer requests did Paul present for his own ministry?
- What lesson is there for us in what Paul did not request prayer for?
Spend Time in Prayer: Ask God for the resolve to be alert and persistent in your prayer life, experiencing His power working on behalf of believers both nearby and at a distance.
18 Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere. 19 And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words as I boldly explain God’s secret plan that the Good News is for the Gentiles, too. 20 I am in chains now for preaching this message as God’s ambassador. But pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should.
Prayer for the Week: Lift my prayer horizons, Lord, above my own welfare to the expansion of Your kingdom.
How to Dis Discontent – Being Content
Ephesus was a wealthy city, and the Ephesian church probably had some prosperous members.
Paul advised Timothy to instruct them about how to regard and use their resources. But he also warned Timothy to be on his guard against those whose involvement in the church was based on greed.
Paul’s counsel fits our era just as well.
Interact with God’s Word
1 Timothy 6:5-11, 1 Timothy 6:17-19
- If religion shouldn’t be seen as a way to get rich, how can it be the source of great wealth?
- How can the perspective of verses 7-8 help you distinguish between needs and wants?
- To what extent can advertising to stimulate demand in our consumption-driven economy undermine the contentment urged in these verses?
- How much do you think your outlook has been affected by this advertising?
- How have you seen greed ruin marriages, friendships, or business relationships?
- Why is trusting in the security of savings (v. 17) a trap?
- What is the antidote for relying on accumulated wealth (vv. 18-19)?
- Do you really share Paul’s confidence (v. 17b) about how God relates to His children?
Spend Time in Prayer: Ask God for satisfaction when your basic needs are met, acceptance of what He’s doing in your life, and fulfillment in relating to others in His work.
1 Timothy 6:5-11, 1 Timothy 6:17-19
5 These people always cause trouble. Their minds are corrupt, and they don’t tell the truth. To them religion is just a way to get rich. 6 Yet true religion with contentment is great wealth. 7 After all, we didn’t bring anything with us when we came into the world, and we certainly cannot carry anything with us when we die. 8 So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. 9 But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is at the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows. 11 But you, Timothy, belong to God; so run from all these evil things, and follow what is right and good. Pursue a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.
17 Tell those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which will soon be gone. But their trust should be in the living God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. 18 Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and should give generously to those in need, always being ready to share with others whatever God has given them. 19 By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may take hold of real life.
Prayer for the Week: Lord, make me grateful for Your past blessings, confident of Your future provision, and at peace with my current circumstances.
An open table: How United Methodists understand Communion
During a Confirmation Class, the pastor asked a group of mostly 13- and 14-year-old students to name some things Christians—and specifically United Methodists—do that most other people do not.
One of the girls raised her hand and said with a smile, “We dunk our bread in grape juice.”
Yes, that is different.
The sacrament of Holy Communion is such a common occurrence in the landscape of our worship that its uncommon richness sometimes gets lost.
Regular Communion
Due to a lack of ordained clergy in the early days of the church in the United States, a history of receiving the sacrament quarterly (four times per year) is the habit in some places.
The vast majority of United Methodist congregations in the United States (97% in the most recent study) now celebrate the Lord’s Supper at least once per month.
One sacrament, several names
The Lord’s Supper, Holy Communion, and the Eucharist are all names for this sacrament celebrated by United Methodists. Each of these names highlights an aspect of this act of worship.
- The Lord’s Supper reminds us that Jesus Christ is the host and that we participate at Christ’s invitation. Jesus invites us to take part in the special meal he ate with his disciples the night before his crucifixion, and other meals he shared in homes and on hillsides.
- The term Holy Communion invites us to focus on the self-giving of the Holy God which makes the sacrament an occasion of grace, and on the holiness of our communion with God and one another.
- Finally, “Eucharist, from the Greek word for thanksgiving, reminds us that the sacrament is thanksgiving to God for the gifts of creation and salvation.
“Open Communion”
“Ecumenically, the term ‘open communion’ … means that all of the baptized are welcome to receive,” explains the Rev. Taylor Burton-Edwards, director of worship resources with Discipleship Ministries.
- This distinguishes our invitation from some other Christian denominations that may require additional rites before one is welcome to the table.
- “United Methodists do not practice ‘wide open communion,’” Burton-Edwards continues. “We are instructed to use the invitation as it appears in our ritual to make clear whom Christ does invite to his table.
- It is those who ‘love him, earnestly repent of their sin, and seek to be at peace with one another.’ While we serve all who present themselves, not questioning their integrity in response to the invitation, these are actual conditions.”
Invitation
Our communion liturgy begins with words spoken on Jesus’ behalf inviting “all who love him, who earnestly repent of their sin, and seek to live in peace with one another.”
There are no conditions for church membership or completion of a class required.
The baptized present are all invited, even if they belong to a different church. Those not baptized are not barred from receiving, but should be counseled and nurtured toward baptism as soon as possible,
In addition, there is no minimum age. Even baptized infants are invited. To whatever degree they’re able to participate in the Great Thanksgiving—even if that’s simply being held in their mother’s arms while they sleep—they are there. They are part of what we are all doing together, so they are welcome to receive.
Confession, Pardon, and Peace
During the next part of the service, we prepare ourselves to offer a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving by repenting of sin and seeking to live in peace with one another.
After praying a prayer of confession, we share words of pardon that remind us of the grace freely available to all who repent, “In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!”
The Peace then follows, where we offer one another signs of reconciliation and love, affirming our desire to live as a reconciled community in Christ.
The Elements of Communion
The Bread
It is appropriate that the bread eaten in Holy Communion both look and taste like bread.
The use of a whole loaf best signifies the unity of the church as the body of Christ and, when it is broken and shared, our fellowship in that body.
The Cup
A single cup or chalice may be used for intinction—dipping the bread into the wine—or for drinking,
The use of a common chalice best represents Christian unity, but individual cups are used in many congregations.
This story uses the word juice over wine because historically, United Methodists have been committed to use “the pure, unfermented juice of the grape.” That came out of our involvement in the temperance movement in the 19th century and into the 20th century. It is also out of an ongoing concern for persons for whom alcohol may be a problem.
The Great Thanksgiving
During the next part of the service, the pastor leads the congregation in a prayer called The Great Thanksgiving.
Our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving is The Great Thanksgiving. That’s why it’s essential that the people participate actively in this.
We join in the ancient tradition of sacrifice by offering God our praise and thanksgiving for the wondrous gift of salvation (see Psalm 141).
We offer ourselves and our gifts of bread and wine to God with thanksgiving. Then we ask for the Holy Spirit to be poured upon us and these gifts, that they may become for us the body and blood of Christ, nourishing us, who have been redeemed by his blood, to be the body of Christ in the world.
We conclude praising the Triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—before uniting our voices in the Lord’s Prayer.
Then the bread is broken, and the body and blood of Christ are given to those who come to receive.
Prayer after receiving
Holy Communion brings together our worship and our work in the world.
Communion is our meal, It is our feeding. We need that sustenance and we need it regularly.
In the prayer after receiving, we affirm this. We pray, “Grant that we may go into the world in the strength of your Spirit, to give ourselves for others, in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.”
All this is God’s gift to us. We are fed with the body of Christ by the Father and empowered by the Spirit to live as Christ’s body in the world.
Dipping bread into juice may seem a little odd, but it is an important sign of our life as disciples of Jesus Christ.
What we’re doing in the Eucharist is two things:
- When we receive ‘the body and blood of Christ that we may be for the world the body of Christ redeemed by his blood,’ we are remembering.
- At the same time, we are also re-membered, put back together again. We pray that we may be ‘one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world.’
God’s work of making us one and uniting us with Christ, with each other and in our witness and life in the world—is the ordinary way by which God feeds us, sustains us, and empowers us to live as Christians in the world.
Central Church – Online Worship Service – 5th Sunday after Pentecost – 2-6-2022
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To begin, simply click on one of the links below to join with the folks who have already made their way into our digital Sanctuary. You can find this week’s online worship service on both Facebook and YouTube at the following coordinates:
(If the video doesn’t come up after clicking on the link, just copy and paste the address into your browser search bar.) Central Church
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How to Dis Discontent – Gear Glut
Key Bible Verse: True religion with contentment is great wealth. – 1 Timothy 6:6
Bonus Reading: 1 Timothy 6:5b-11, 17-19
I entered a shelter along the Appalachian Trail late one afternoon after witnessing incredible overlooks and enjoying nature’s beauty up close. But there was one problem—my pack was too heavy. My shoulders were aching, and my neck felt like it needed one of those thick, padded braces.
I’d packed way too much food and dreaded lugging the heavy pack the next day. So I started giving away dried fruit and granola bars to the other hikers settling in for the night. They probably thought it odd, but accepted the provisions I’d (unknowingly) been carrying for them. I’d never been such a cheerful giver!
Today’s verse reminds me that if I carry too much bartering power, my journey will suffer. Understanding my limitations has become the most efficient, least painful way to carry my pack.
Some of us are stronger than others. A friend of mine carries large bank accounts in his “life pack,” and it seems to never slow him down. However, for others of us, our loads are lighter because our heavenly Father knows what we’re able to heft.
Seeking to fill our packs and pockets is a grave mistake. As we learn to trust God more fully, we know He’ll meet all our needs—so there’s no need to overpack!
—Nathan Chapman in With God on the Hiking Trail
My Response: To lighten my “life pack,” I need to …
Thought to Apply: God doesn’t call upon us to give up a single thing that adds to our happiness; all He wants us to give up are the things which blight our lives.—D.L. Moody
Adapted from With God on the Hiking Trail (Doubleday, 2001)
Prayer for the Week: Lord, make me grateful for Your past blessings, confident of Your future provision, and at peace with my current circumstances.
How to Dis Discontent – Reach for Less
Key Bible Verse: Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind. – Ecclesiastes 4:6, NIV
Bonus Reading: Luke 14:28-30
[continued from yesterday] The third weapon of contentment is a realistic reach. Before you set a goal, candidly assess the time, the talents, and the resources you have.
Jesus rebuked those who started a tower without calculating what it would take to finish it. We must know our strengths, and limitations. Our lives were meant to be built on the capabilities and personality strengths a good God has given us.
We don’t need to strain to be somebody else. There’s great satisfaction in focused energy and completed towers. If your reach will compromise a quiet center or push you beyond the boundaries of peace, consider it too expensive.
King David revealed the secret of his relaxed spirit: “Lord, my heart is not proud; my eyes are not haughty. I don’t concern myself with matters too great or awesome for me. But I have stilled and quieted myself” (Psalm 131:1-2).
To be content with our life position cancels out the reach for more. It means that who we are is okay—our looks, our abilities, our singleness.
Where we are is okay too—our address, our school, our job, our position. And contentment includes how we are, even in a sickbed or with an empty wallet.
—Ron Hutchcraft in Living Peacefully in a Stressful World
My Response: When has my appetite for more created the stress I deplore?
Thought to Apply: To feel that one has a place in life solves half the problem of contentment.—George Woodberry (college professor & poet)
Adapted from Living Peacefully in a Stressful World (Discovery, 1985, 2000)
Prayer for the Week: Lord, make me grateful for Your past blessings, confident of Your future provision, and at peace with my current circumstances.
How to Dis Discontent – Equalize the Pressure
Key Bible Verse: Now I can rest again, for the LORD has been so good to me. – Psalm 116:7
Bonus Reading: Psalm 78:18-28
Our outside environment pushes us to compare, complain, compete, and conquer. To avoid chronic discontent, we need to counter with three kinds of inside pressure.
First, we need to renew our confidence in our secure Source. When something happens to our paycheck or our best friend, we feel fearful and restless. But those are only vehicles of God’s supply, not the Source.
He’s infinitely creative in finding other ways to send what we need. After all, our Father invented manna in the wilderness, water from a rock, and food delivered free by ravens. If we belong to Him, our Source is beyond the reach of any recession, depression, or hydrogen bomb.
Second, we fight discontent with a grateful memory. David’s memory was working well when he told King Saul, “The Lord who saved me from the claws of the lion and the bear will save me from this Philistine [Goliath]!” (1 Samuel 17:37).
God sends His gifts to us daily, but because we’re too busy to notice or say thanks, we lack David’s poise. Regular, specific thanks warms our Father’s heart, and reconfirms our contentment. If He’s done it before, He’ll do it again!” [continued tomorrow]
—Ron Hutchcraft in Living Peacefully in a Stressful World
My Response: Is my ultimate security based on savings, investments, or insurance?
Thought to Apply: We should spend as much time in thanking God for His benefits as we do in asking Him for them.—Vincent De Paul (French clergyman)
Adapted from Living Peacefully in a Stressful World (Discovery, 1985, 2000)
Prayer for the Week: Lord, make me grateful for Your past blessings, confident of Your future provision, and at peace with my current circumstances.
How to Dis Discontent – Virus Protection
Key Bible Verse: I have learned to get along happily whether I have much or little. – Philippians 4:11
Bonus Reading: Philippians 4:10-20
Life is never good enough for some people, while others have great joy even though their lives are plagued by problems.
According to the apostle Paul, the problem for those who are never happy is that “their minds and consciences are corrupted” (Titus 1:15, NIV).
It’s as if a bad computer virus has corrupted all their spiritual files. We’re all created to enjoy this brief life by finding the marks of the Creator in everything He’s made. Yet sin has distorted our vision, making it hard for us to see God’s good work. Instead we see only a world that’s not good enough, a family that’s imperfect, or friends and colleagues who don’t appreciate us.
It’s tempting to just get new friends, change jobs, and bombard our family members with criticism. Yet the problem doesn’t lie out there. It lies in our own corrupted minds and guilt-ridden consciences.
Until we deal with these corrupted files through confession, the invitation to joy won’t compute for us. That’s because joy is essentially an expression of gratitude, and nothing makes us as grateful as believing we’re forgiven. When we’re overwhelmed by the grace we’ve received, it’s hard to be judgmental of the world around us.
—Craig Barnes in An Extravagant Mercy
My Response: Today, I’ll thank God for my most basic blessings.
Thought to Apply: Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out. —JOHN WOODEN (basketball coach)
Adapted from An Extravagant Mercy (Jossey-Bass, 2004)
Prayer for the Week: Lord, make me grateful for Your past blessings, confident of Your future provision, and at peace with my current circumstances.
How to Dis Discontent – 4-Wheel Dream
Key Bible Verse: Those who love money will never have enough. How absurd to think that wealth brings true happiness! – Ecclesiastes 5:10
Bonus Reading: Ecclesiastes 2:10-11
In a class I taught on money, I asked one husband, “Peter, if you could drive any car you wanted and didn’t have to pay for it, what would it be?”
With a wide grin, he replied, “A Ford F-250 V-8 pickup truck, every option, extended cab, four-wheel drive with a topper and a ski rack.”
“Should we make it diesel?” I asked.
Bigger grin. “Yeah, let’s make it diesel.”
“Peter,” I followed up, “Say you may have a new Ford like that every year for the rest of your life. However, the trade-off is that you’ll never be content. Or you can drive a 1996 Ford Taurus that’s seen better days. The trade-off is that you’ll always be content. Which do you choose?”
Peter sat there stunned and undecided. He’d always thought, When I get to this level and have these things, then I’ll be content. Was that his conscious thinking? No. Was it his practical behavior? Yes.
As is true for most of us. Our culture has conditioned us to believe our contentment is something “out there.” “When I get the right job …” “When we can afford to move to a larger house …” “When we can afford to retire …”
“When” never gets here.
—Neil Atkinson in The Shrewd Christian
My Response: To move the basis of my contentment from “out there” to “in here,” I need to …
Adapted from The Shrewd Christian (WaterBrook, 2004)
Prayer for the Week: Lord, make me grateful for Your past blessings, confident of Your future provision, and at peace with my current circumstances.
How to Dis Discontent – “There’s Your Model”
Who Said It…Richard Bewes
Richard is rector of All Souls Church, Langham Place, London. He grew up as a missionary kid in Kenya.
His love of tennis began there and continued during secondary school in England, where he represented the combined Public Schools of Britain against the All-England Club at Wimbledon.
Richard says his family’s gospel tradition began in 1882, when his grandfather, then 14 years old, responded to a sermon by American evangelist D.L. Moody.
What He Said…”There’s Your Model”
Missionary Ken Ogden used his skills as a carpenter to good effect in one of the developing countries.
At one point he’d shown his local pupils how to build a church. They did it together. They were just about to embark on the final lesson of making the seating when the blow fell. The totalitarian government of the day found fault with Ken and ordered him out of the country with 24 hours notice.
What would you have done? Run ’round to the bank and try to extricate what funds you could? Frantically gather your most precious belongings for a hasty exit?
Ken did none of that. Those last hours he spent with his pupils, and made one seat for the new church. “There!” he said when it was done. “There’s your model. Now I’m going, but you finish the rest.”
He left them, not only with the prototype for a church seat, but also with a standard of how an integrated Christian behaves under pressure. It was the lesson of contentment.
Adapted from Words that Circled the World (Christian Focus, 2002)
Prayer for the Week: Lord, make me grateful for Your past blessings, confident of Your future provision, and at peace with my current circumstances.
Honesty – Being Honest with God
This psalm may have been written to celebrate moving the Ark of the Covenant from Obededom’s house to Jerusalem – 2 Samuel 6:10-12.
Tradition says that this psalm was sung on the first day of each week in the Temple services.
We focus today on the verses that tell who is worthy to join in such a celebration of worship.
Interact with God’s Word
- What qualifications are stated in verse 4 for being a worshipper whom God accepts?
- In what way would dishonesty contaminate a heart?
- What could complete truthfulness cost you in terms of entitlements, comfort level, or how you are perceived?
- How does deceiving others lead to self-deception?
- Why is God unable to hear you or speak to you if you are building a wall of self-deception?
- What is promised (v. 5) to those who keep their hands and hearts pure?
Spend Time in Prayer: Lord, I realize that unless I am absolutely honest, a relationship with You is impossible. Please help me to strip away all pretense in my life.
3Who may climb the mountain of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place? 4Only those whose hands and hearts are pure, who do not worship idols and never tell lies.
5They will receive the LORD’s blessing and have right standing with God their savior. 6They alone may enter God’s presence and worship the God of Israel.
Prayer for the Week: Because You are absolute truth, Lord, give me the courage to adhere to Your standard.
COVID-19 – Beaver County Metrics – 2-3-2022
Here are the weekly COVID-19 statistics for Beaver County, PA as of February 3, 2022, with both indexes AGAIN showing very high levels.
- The Incidence Rate decreased from 1,157.8 to 800.9 (a decrease of 356.9, or 30.8%) in the HIGH category.
- The PCR Positivity Rate increased from 29.5 to 26.5 in the HIGH category.
(Allegheny County’s figures also remained high during the past week, moving from 606.4 to 530.1 and from 22.3% to 19.1%.)
This week’s readings appear to signal that the latest infection wave from the Omicron variant may be receding.
Beaver County is now classified as SUBSTANTIAL on the original PA DOH scale and HIGH on the CDC scale.
On April 5, 2021, the CDC issued a “Science Brief” outlining that, in addition to people becoming infected through contact with contaminated surfaces or objects, the principal mode by which people are infected with COVID-19 is through exposure to respiratory droplets carrying infectious virus.
- Small Group Meetings (Sunday School, AA, other meetings):
The current guidance on when and how gatherings can take place is based upon the threshold of infection rate.
For Indoor meetings/Sunday School to resume, the 7-day average of daily cases for gatherings that include unvaccinated folks should be:
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- 1.5-2.0 – for everyone except those at high risk; and
- Less than 1.0 for those at high risk.
- Our current level is 114.4, so resuming small group meetings may not be feasible for the foreseeable future.
As the pandemic continues, we are continuing our efforts to:
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Disinfect Central Church prior to every worship service and feeding ministry event using EPA-registered products in compliance with CDC standards to kill germs and reduce the risk of spreading infection, and in compliance with EPA criteria for use against SARS-COV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19; and
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As our community COVID-19 levels continue to deteriorate, we have significantly expanded our new medical-grade HEPA-13 air filtration equipment in our Sanctuary, which is rated to remove COVID-19 from the air, which now provides 10.7 complete air changes every hour in our Sanctuary (every 6 minutes)!
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In addition, our Parlor, Church Office, Pastor’s Office, UMYF Meeting Room, Fellowship Hall, and Nursery all offer even higher levels of air changes per hour using HEPA-13 or HEPA-14 filtration.
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(5 air changes per hour is the EPA’s general recommended standard, and the EPA now recommends 8-15 air changes per hour in Churches. )
Central Church
Honesty – Truth and Consequences
Key Bible Verse: We can say with … a clear conscience that we have been honest and sincere in all our dealings. – 2 Corinthians 1:12
Bonus Reading: Psalm 24:3-6
A couple of years ago a man in my congregation sold his business in order to run for political office. He wanted to invest his life in making a difference in the world.
Though it was John’s first political campaign, he won the election handily. His introduction to California politics wasn’t altogether friendly, however.
As he began to serve in his elected capacity, he soon found himself in trouble with powerful political operatives.
How did he get into this fix? By telling the truth as he saw it, rejecting the “make nice” compromises of political expediency. Before long John faced a stark decision, either to continue to speak truthfully and put his political future at risk or to bend the truth and become “one of the boys.”
When I met with John, he’d decided which course to take, but he wanted some pastoral encouragement. “If I stick with the truth,” he explained, “it might very well be the end of my career in politics. But I need to do what’s right and leave the results to the Lord.”
John’s confidence in God gave him the strength to uphold the truth. The fact of God’s sovereignty and love emboldened him to be truthful in an arena where, sadly, truth is so often lacking.
—Mark Roberts in Dare to Be True
My Response: I’ll commit to live the truth, and ask God to take care of the consequences.
Thought to Apply: When I lay down the reins of this administration, I want to have one friend left. And that friend is inside myself.—Abraham Lincoln (16th U.S. President)
Adapted from Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003)
Prayer for the Week: Because You are absolute truth, Lord, give me the courage to adhere to Your standard.
Honesty – Broken Barrier
Key Bible Verse: “Bad company corrupts good character.” – 1 Corinthians 15:33
Bonus Reading: Psalm 36:1-3
Employees who watch their boss or leader be dishonest to a supplier become uneasy about their job security.
I recently heard about a situation a person found himself in. “I was talking to our president and some other people on the executive team after some difficult negotiations with a major supplier, and I wasn’t comfortable with how it had gone. One of the vice presidents had lied to the supplier to get the price down. I don’t remember my exact words, but I put it as diplomatically as I knew how that I wasn’t comfortable with that, and that it could undermine our relationship with the supplier.
“The president rolled his eyes and laughed. ‘Look at Jack! He’s shocked, shocked, that we sometimes tell stories to suppliers!’
“Everyone laughed, and someone said, ‘Grow up, Jack.’
“Well, I turned red, but I remember thinking, If they are willing to lie to suppliers, why not employees? I never trusted the executive team after that.”
When we break an ethical barrier, it is just like breaking a pane of glass: it’s gone; it does not exist anymore. Not only do people within our organizations begin to mistrust, but also they begin setting their own moral bar lower. The “broken glass” can’t be repaired to look flawless.
—Wayde Goodall in Why Great Men Fall
My Response: How could I help raise the moral bar where I work?
Thought to Apply: He that once deceives is ever suspected.—George Herbert (English poet & priest)
Adapted from Why Great Men Fall (New Leaf, 2005)
Prayer for the Week: Because You are absolute truth, Lord, give me the courage to adhere to Your standard.
Honesty – End-of-the-Tunnel Light?
Key Bible Verse: They say to themselves, “Nothing bad will ever happen to us! We will be free of trouble forever!” – Psalm 10:6
Bonus Reading: 2 Chronicles 18:3-22
In early 1968, the Commandant of the Marine Corps came to Danang for a visit, and I was assigned to the briefing team.
A colonel called me aside and suggested, “Tell him about the MiGs you encountered over Hanoi.” I answered “Well, you know, I never really encountered any myself.” He quickly replied with a note of consternation in his voice, “Well, somebody encountered them, so you’re the person who needs to talk about them.”
He added another subject: “Make sure you tell the Commandant about evasive maneuvers when multiple surface-to-air missiles were sent your way.” Again I felt obliged to reply, “I never had more than a single surface-to-air missile come my way at one time.” He was having a hard time making his point. “Yes, but there were other people who must have had SAMs shot at them in multiple configurations. Tell them about that.”
That briefing, and the not-so-subtle shift from what was factually correct, became a microcosm of the entire war. As the war went on, sometimes supported by little lies and sometimes by a total absence of truth, we lost faith in reality. We lost that faith because no one had the courage to tell the truth.
—Robert Seiple in Ambassadors of Hope
My Response: In what settings do I find truth elusive?
Thought to Apply: So long as we are able to distinguish any space whatever between the truth and us, we remain outside it.—HENRI AMIEL (Swiss philosopher)
Adapted from Ambassadors of Hope (InterVarsity, 2004)
Prayer for the Week: Because You are absolute truth, Lord, give me the courage to adhere to Your standard.
Effective Stewardship – February 2022 Theme
Our February 2022 Stewardship Theme:
One of the most familiar of all Bible passages is 1 Corinthians 13, which is known by many as the “Love Chapter.” Many people — Christians and non-Christians alike — have committed part or all of these thirteen wonderful verses to memory. But most people probably do not realize that one of the greatest truths concerning giving is taught in this passage.
The Apostle Paul, writing under the direct and divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit, said, “If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.”
In other words, according to this verse, our giving is to be motivated by love. If it is not, then it has absolutely no value to us.
The question here is not how much we give, or how frequently we give, or the manner in which we give, but why we give. And it is based on the principle taught so clearly in Romans 5:8, “But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners, Christ died for us.”
When we were nothing but sinners, Christ died for us.
When we had nothing but the refuse of sin in our lives, Christ died for us.
When we were “strangers” to God’s promises, Christ died for us.
Long before we could ever love Him, He provided convincing evidence of His love for us by dying for us on Calvary. And that’s why “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19).
One of the ways in which we demonstrate our love for God is through giving.
If we give out of a sense of obligation or because “the church needs the money” or because we feel we have to give, we miss the point of 1 Corinthians 13:3.
We also miss the blessing that comes from giving out of a heart motivated by our love for the Lord. When we give because of that motivation, our giving provides a tangible expression of our love for Him as we give in response to His love and grace.
As the offering plate passes by you next Sunday at church, you might want to pray this prayer of thanksgiving and commitment:
“Lord, thank you for loving me before I could love you. Thank you for demonstrating your love by dying on Calvary for me. And thank you for the privilege of giving to you today as I worship you through this expression of my love for you.”
As you consider not only next Sunday’s offering, but equally important, your on-going financial support of the ministry at Central United Methodist Church, what is your response to God’s love for you?
Central Church
Honesty – Check-in Checkup
Key Bible Verse: For I was born a sinner—yes, from the moment my mother conceived me. But you desire honesty from the heart. – Psalm 51:5-6
Bonus Reading: Jeremiah 9:3-9
I arrived late at the airport only to discover that I’d forgotten to refuel the rental car. That really shouldn’t have been a problem since the rental company will gladly refuel the car for about $4.00 a gallon.
But when the agent at the check-in counter asked me if I had refueled the car, I lied, or at least I used the “truth” to deceive. Instead of simply answering no, I said, “The fuel gauge is registering full.”
Without looking up from her paperwork she asked, “Do you have a receipt for the gasoline?”
Once again I had an opportunity to do the right thing. All I had to was tell her that I had not refueled the car. Instead, I simply said, “No.” She must have have sensed I wasn’t being completely truthful because she pressed me. “What,” she asked, “was the name of the gasoline station where you refueled the car?”
This time I didn’t even pretend to tell the truth. “I don’t remember,” I mumbled as I turned away and walked toward the concourse. I could feel her eyes boring into me, but I didn’t look back. Such duplicity! Such deceit! And for what? Less than ten dollars worth of gasoline.
—Richard Exley in Man of Valor
My Response: How have I cultivated or suppressed a God-honoring conscience?
Thought to Apply: A truth that’s told with bad intent / Beats all the lies you can invent.—William Blake (English artist & writer)
Adapted from Man of Valor (White Stone Books, 2005)
Prayer for the Week: Because You are absolute truth, Lord, give me the courage to adhere to Your standard.
Central United Methodist Church Beaver Falls 