13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord,
In my church tradition, receiving Communion each week is the culmination of weekly worship. The service is always moving towards Christ’s Table. As we turn our sights to the communion liturgy, our priest has often reminded the congregation of a phrase from St. Augustine who said, “Receive what you are, become what you receive.”
To receive Christ’s cup is to remember what is already true. We are beloved. We are saved, and Christ indwells us through God’s Spirit. There is no need to try to make ourselves clean before showing up to the party. God has already done that through Jesus Christ. Hallelujah!
And to become what we receive is a humbling charge. Because of Christ’s body and blood, I can believe in my belovedness, no more and no less than anybody else’s. I can extend that love to neighbors, to strangers, to anyone else who thirsts. Somehow, the cup of Salvation never runs dry, and I want to receive the gift for all it’s worth and share it too. I want to receive the cup, take a hearty drink, and pass it on.
Prayer: Almighty God, remind us who we are and who we can become. Thank you for satisfying our thirst and hunger. Amen.
13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord,
In my church tradition, receiving Communion each week is the culmination of weekly worship. The service is always moving towards Christ’s Table. As we turn our sights to the communion liturgy, our priest has often reminded the congregation of a phrase from St. Augustine who said, “Receive what you are, become what you receive.”
To receive Christ’s cup is to remember what is already true. We are beloved. We are saved, and Christ indwells us through God’s Spirit. There is no need to try to make ourselves clean before showing up to the party. God has already done that through Jesus Christ. Hallelujah!
And to become what we receive is a humbling charge. Because of Christ’s body and blood, I can believe in my belovedness, no more and no less than anybody else’s. I can extend that love to neighbors, to strangers, to anyone else who thirsts. Somehow, the cup of Salvation never runs dry, and I want to receive the gift for all it’s worth and share it too. I want to receive the cup, take a hearty drink, and pass it on.
Prayer: Almighty God, remind us who we are and who we can become. Thank you for satisfying our thirst and hunger. Amen.
While Beaver County continues its downward trend of the past 8 weeks into the Moderate category, COVID-19 is once again becoming a growing concern around us.
Yesterday, the CDC estimated that the BA.2 variant (the highly transmissible Omicron variant) is now dominant in the US, making up nearly 55% of new cases.
The announcement came as the FDA authorized an optional second booster shot for people 50 years and up for everyone over age 50 who received their first booster more than 4 months ago. (The CDC is taking a backseat from officially recommending it but is telling anyone who qualifies to consider it.)
Please don’t let fatigue over the continuing news concerning the pandemic cause you to miss opportunities to protect yourself and those around you.
Central Church is continuing to do all it reasonably can by continually disinfecting our building and continuing to use our HEPA-13 air filters to purify the air, but each of us keeping our individual immunity refreshed when boosters are available is the easiest and best way to protect everyone.
25 In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
In the key Scripture for this collection, we hear that the Psalmist will lift the cup of Salvation as an expression of gratitude for blessings from God. That image reminded me of the first time I led a Love Feast at our church family camping outing. It was Sunday morning, and we were grubby and tired. It took a while to gather all the kids (and adults!) for the worship service that would close our weekend. Our pastor visited the day before, but no one thought to bring “official” communion elements – so he prayed over a couple of juice pouches and a handful of hamburger buns.
But remarkably – when the time came to have the simple laity-led form of the Lord’s Supper – as I talked about these everyday items being “set aside” and becoming more than they were before – all the fidgeting stopped. It was one of the most meaningful worship experiences I have ever had. After worship closed, the kids joined me in returning the elements to the Earth and the birds. None of the poking and pushing from earlier, they too were transformed.
Prayer: Father God, help me to remember that I have also been consecrated. Like the buns and juice, I am transformed. Remind me and use me. Amen.
8 For thou hast delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling;
The writer of Psalm 116 is recovering from illness and is so grateful to God he asks, “What shall I return to the Lord for all his bounty to me?” Have you ever had somebody bail you out of a bad situation, and you have no idea how to repay that gift? The Psalmist offered this song of thanksgiving and concluded the repayment would be devotion and faithfulness. They promise to work together with God’s people in worship and service.
God has blessed me in so many ways. I have a wonderful family who loves me more than I love myself. I have a supportive church family. I have had many meaningful jobs. I, like the Psalmist, recovered from pretty severe illness and am in reasonably good health. So, what shall I return to the Lord? I have no riches to give, and the Lord does not need my riches anyway. I can only give what the Psalmist recommends – devotion, faithfulness, and a desire to work with all God’s people to bring about God’s dream – for all the people of the Earth to know of His goodness and mercy.
Prayer: Lord, so often, I think of sacrifice as a negative thing. Help me see any sacrifice I make to further your kingdom is an expression of thankfulness to you for all my many blessings. Amen.
20 Then the mother of the sons of Zeb′edee came up to him, with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. 21 And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Command that these two sons of mine may sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” 22 But Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.”
Growing up in a home where food was always available, we often had choices about both food and drinks. It wasn’t easy to comprehend how some of our neighbors lived much more sparsely.
As a high school student, I joined a group that traveled to the barrio south of our school to tutor grade school students. There, I first met young children whose basic daily food came from school. I listened as Mario told me he sometimes couldn’t pay attention in class in the morning because he hadn’t eaten since lunch the day before.
One day he explained, “Mama gives me warm water or tea before I get on the bus. I try to take home the milk from lunch so I can drink it before I go to bed at night.” I could not imagine how he could be grateful for such a little bit of nourishment until I realized he sometimes had no other food or drink!
When the Psalmist asks, “what shall I return to the Lord for all (God’s) bounty to me?” I wonder if the cup of Salvation might look more like a halfpint of milk?
Prayer: Lord, in these Lenten days, help us choose well the cup we are willing to drink. Strengthen us to recognize and receive your gift of Salvation, even when it comes through a cup of suffering. Amen.
On this cold and snowy fourth Sunday in March, the Sunday on which we celebrate UMCOR Sunday, and 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.
Today’s online worship service includes a favorite HYMN with lyrics so you can sing along!
AND…
Both the video on Facebook and the video on YouTube now have closed captions (if you turn them on) so you can read along with the spoken words during the service!
To activate captions in Facebook, click on the Settings “gear” symbol in the bottom right corner of the image, and then click on the “Off” button to change it to “On” for “Auto-Generated Captions”.
To activate captions in YouTube, click on the “CC” icon in the lower right corner of the image to toggle captions On and Off.
A brief comment on our new closed caption capability – The closed captions on our videos use voice-recognition software similar to that used on Television broadcasts, and with similar accuracy! Sometimes, the captions are not entirely accurate, so if you read something incongruous, back up the video a few seconds and listen carefully for what is actually being said.
Also, it takes a while to generate the captions after the videos are published, so if the captions are not available immediately after the video is published, just check back a little later.
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:
11 For the grace of God has appeared for the salvation of all men,
Family heirlooms and meaningful gifts stay in a cabinet in our home. Each item brings feelings of contentment: connection to family or fond memories of people and events surrounding the gifts. One thing stands out atop the cabinet: the small, simple, wooden communion cup from the Holy Land given to me by my former pastor. This cup was made from wood near the River Jordan, where Jesus was baptized and then began His ministry.
What that little wooden cup symbolizes, however, brings more than contentment. It represents the great mystery of faith, often recited before receiving Communion in our church: Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again. It represents the Cup of Salvation: the cup of thanksgiving, forgiveness, all of God’s blessings. With its imperfections in the wood, that cup exemplifies how our transgressions also mar us as human beings.
What goes into our cup of Salvation, the blood of Christ given for all is pure. In thankfully taking the cup, we receive forgiveness and all the blessings of God: most significantly, the greatest gift of life eternal. The little wooden cup was meaningful because of its place of origin and who gave it to me. But partaking in the cup symbolizes the unmatchable gift of forgiveness and blessing poured out for me through Jesus’ sacrifice.
Prayer: Merciful Father, we humbly thank you for Jesus, who through his suffering, death, and resurrection, gave us the greatest gift: Salvation. Amen.
6 Render to her as she herself has rendered, and repay her double for her deeds; mix a double draught for her in the cup she mixed.
The theme of “The Cup of Salvation” brings to mind other cups in the Bible, like the cup of judgment in Revelation 18:6. The Book of Revelation interprets the Roman Empire as the antithesis of the Realm of God. In Revelation 18:1–24, God condemns Rome for idolatry and injustice, such as the wealthy feasting and ruling by violence while others struggle against hunger and persecution.
However, the Roman Empire, and its way of life, would be destroyed by the same means it used to rule. Injustice would cause it to collapse. Violence will consume Rome, but the passage offers a way forward. “Come out of Rome!” (Revelation 18:4). That is, “Turn away from idolatry, live in covenant, and provide food and opportunity for all.”
This Lent, we can consider how similar today’s world is to Rome. According to Revelation, idolatry, exploitation, and violence set in motion patterns of decay that eventually cause social collapse. But it is not too late. We can heed God’s call: “Come out of the values and practices of today’s empire. Feed hungry people. Live in peace. Create opportunity.”
Prayer: God, help us confess the ways we support empire in our time. Help us find the courage to say “Yes” to your invitation to “Come out!” Amen.
Here are the weekly COVID-19 statistics for Beaver County, PA as of March 24, 2022, with both indexes leveling off at low levels.
The Incidence Rate increased slightly from 40.8 to 32.9 (an increase of 7.9, or 7.9%) remaining in the SUBSTANTIALcategory for the third week in a row.
The PCR Positivity Rate decreased from 4.7 to 3.1, remaining in the LOW category.
(Allegheny County’s figures also decreased in the MODERATE category during the past week, moving from 31.2 to 30.2 and from 4.7% to 3.9)
Beaver County continues to be classified as MODERATEon the original PA DOH scale as well as MODERATEon the CDC scale.
Note: Levels are anticipated to swing significantly upward in the coming weeks with the arrival of the extremely contagious new BA.2 Omicron variant.
The new “COVID-19 COMMUNITY LEVEL” index:
Starting on March 3, 2022, for hospitals and healthcare systems, the CDC is also issuing a new “COVID-19 Community Level“ index that measures the “current potential for strain on the health system” (in other words, the ability of hospitals to take in and treat additional folks with COVID-19.)
This new index is in addition to the CDC’s “COVID-19 Integrated County View” which they continue to publish each week.
The CDC currently reports that current “COVID-19 Community Level” is LOW, meaning that hospital beds are available for new COVID-19 cases.
At Central Church, in order to look out for our older folks, as well as the unvaccinated or immunocompromised, we are continuing to look to the CDC’s“COVID-19 Integrated County View”to evaluate which protective measures and protocols that we should observe to protect all of the folks who come through our doors for in-person worship or for other reasons, such as to participate in our community feeding ministry outreach.
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 4.7, so resuming small group meetings may not be feasible for the immediate 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
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. )
18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
We use the phrase “my cup of tea” to say we are pleased with something that seems just right. I believe the cup of Salvation is rooted in “T” for thanksgiving. We are told to give thanks not FOR all things, but IN all things. Many years ago, in a single month, my mother died; I hospitalized my father; and my husband of 16 years left me for another woman.
Thirty years later, in 4 months, my house burned down; my second husband was diagnosed with cancer— all the day before our daughter’s wedding. I felt like a modern-day Job! The only thing that kept me going was the sure and certain hope that God was in the midst of it with me. All I had to do was give thanks for the presence of Jesus walking with me every step of the way.
Hindsight is usually 20/20, and many things have happened since then. Things that seemed like tragedy turned into triumph, what seemed terrible, turned into good! My cup of tea had a bitter taste of tragedy but became an overwhelming taste of triumph and thanksgiving! During the challenges and changes in our lives, we must hold on to our faith. We must remember the cup of Salvation and saving grace is ours and give thanks.
Prayer: Lord, help me to remember to praise you and give thanks in all things. Amen.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
We accepted it academically. We believed it conceptually. Now we know it personally: the Triune God cannot be bound by time, space, or place. This understanding is one of the blessings Christ’s church has received from the horrible virus, COVID-19.
Sitting at my dining room table, leading worship, and officiating the Lord’s Supper on Zoom feels different from standing physically at the Communion Table before the people of God. Yet, the bread and wine are no less valuable for those worshiping and communing at home. God works through the elements, regardless of time, space, or place. By the power of the Holy Spirit, he does good work within us and through us. Do I prefer in-person worship? Of course. But the Lord keeps reminding me that this virus does not separate us from God’s love. This virus allows us to show hospitality in new ways and show how we take joy in protecting the “least” among us as God’s people. We still are blessed to be a blessing. We still are the body of Christ, empowered as we faithfully move beyond the walls of our church buildings to seek and promote righteousness, exhibiting the kingdom of heaven to the world.
Prayer: Dearest Lord, thank you for giving your life – the ultimate sacrifice – so we might have hope. Help us share your eternal kingdom of love and grace here on Earth with the lost and lonely. Amen.
12 What shall I render to the Lord for all his bounty to me?
In Psalm 116, we read that God delivered the Psalmist from all kinds of trials and tribulations: from his spiritual struggles to near-death experiences. The Psalmist responds to this loving deliverance from God in verse 12, “What shall I render to the LORD for all his benefits to me?” He demonstrates his love by lifting the cup of Salvation in gratitude for all God has done.
What about me? How can I respond to the goodness God has shown me?
As I journey through this season of Lent and reflect on what Jesus did for me and the price he paid, I am mindful of what Paul says in Philippians 2, “Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God…emptied himself and humbled himself even to death on a cross”. He did that for each of us. What can I possibly give in return?
Trials filled this past year. The pandemic, loss of loved ones, financial hardship, and natural disasters, to name a few. God’s help sustained me and helped me endure. Like the Psalmist, I gratefully lifted up the cup of Salvation in thanksgiving to God. I desire to give my whole life – with all my being, to serve him with thanksgiving and praise.
Prayer: God of the Universe, you have offered us the cup of Salvation. We accept this cup, knowing you gave yourself freely and love us. We are deeply grateful. Amen.
11 And he said, “Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.
As we journey through the seasons of our lives, we increasingly find ourselves bound up, not necessarily by the need for action but rather by the presence of noise. Through the ever-present cacophony of our daily existence, we hear calls demanding much from us: our time, our effort; our attention; our energy. Often, the noise is so overwhelming it robs us of one crucial thing: our sense of peace.
The season of Lent is no exception, and despite the best of efforts, many have a tough time finding the peace they seek. Indeed, Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem and— ultimately— to the cross demanded much from him, including his very life.
Like Elijah’s encounter with God at the mouth of a cave and Jesus’ hearing God in a garden named Gethsemane, we too can find the peace of God which passes all understanding in moments of sheer silence in our world. Finding this peace doesn’t require climbing a mountain or isolating ourselves in a garden. Often, we can find it simply by slowing down, taking a breath, and looking inside. God dwells with and within us, and there, we’ll find the sheer silence of God’s peace.
Prayer: Gracious God, grant us inquisitive minds open to your presence, grateful hearts open to your love, and discerning ears open to the sound of your voice in both the chaos and the sheer silence in our lives. Amen.
18 Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,
Years ago, I felt prompted to focus more on spiritual disciplines during the Lenten season, instead of giving up something, as had been my usual Lenten habit. I felt the need to enhance my prayer life, recognizing I’d fallen into a rut. My daily practice of reading Scripture and devotions, followed by prayer, had become routine at times in the busyness of my days. So, I contemplated discussions on prayer from previous Bible studies I’d participated in, along with aspects of monastic prayer life and ancient prayer patterns that I’d studied while taking seminary classes.
I decided to center my Lenten journey on expanding daily prayers. Far be it from anything “sacrificed”, I made time out of seemingly already maxed out days of working, caring for my family, and church and community service projects for Jesus. I wanted and needed to spend more time with Jesus.
That Lenten season, I focused on centering prayer, contemplative prayer, and Collects with my Anglican prayer beads, the monastic practice of Lectio Divina, in addition to my ‘regular’ daily Scripture and devotional readings. I even tried times of leaving my usual structured prayer patterns for more informal conversations with our Savior. The outcome was a Lenten journey I won’t forget and one that I recommend. I am grateful for dedicated time to center more diligently on the One who gave all for us.
Prayer: Lord, may we stay alert and prayerfully centered on you every day of our lives. Amen.
On this rainy third Sunday in March, the first day of Spring, 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.
Today’s online worship service includes a favorite HYMN with lyrics so you can sing along!
AND…
Both the video on Facebook and the video on YouTube now have closed captions (if you turn them on) so you can read along with the spoken words during the service!
To activate captions in Facebook, click on the Settings “gear” symbol in the bottom right corner of the image, and then click on the “Off” button to change it to “On” for “Auto-Generated Captions”.
To activate captions in YouTube, click on the “CC” icon in the lower right corner of the image to toggle captions On and Off.
A brief comment on our new closed caption capability – The closed captions on our videos use voice-recognition software similar to that used on Television broadcasts, and with similar accuracy! Sometimes, the captions are not entirely accurate, so if you read something incongruous, back up the video a few seconds and listen carefully for what is actually being said.
Also, it takes a while to generate the captions after the videos are published, so if the captions are not available immediately after the video is published, just check back a little later.
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:
3 The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad.
Blessings are raining down, like meteor showers, all around us, but not actually on you or me. There are no blessings in our waiting hands, none in our empty cups. We must be invisible!
Then someone says, “Have a blessed day,” and that changes everything! With those four little words, someone has shared their blessings with us. Did they have so many blessings that their cup was running over? How many blessings did they share? Are our cups now full and will they also run over?
We’ve gone from feeling totally invisible to enjoying an abundance of blessings, because someone not only cared, but shared— what an excellent example of improving our world.
Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for sending blessings upon blessings, even when our cups are already full. Help us remember that when we share our blessings, we are praising you. Amen.
5 and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.
“Oh gee, Mommy, why…?” When I asked my older siblings what they remembered about me as a child, that phrase is what they recall me saying about everything. It seems I was curious to know the answer to all the whys of life: why I had to come when called; why I was the youngest; why birds flew? You name it, and I asked, “Why?”
Later in life, I understand for every “why” question I have, the answer is often “why not?” Why, after years of study and attaining a professional degree, did I develop cancer? Why is there hunger in a world of plenty? Why do loved ones sometimes cause heartache? Why did my spouse die, leaving me with so many loose ends to figure out? And the answer is: Why not?
For me, “why not” as the answer is realizing that it is not for me to know everything. My attitude to all the good or bad things that happen is what matters to God. For it is in my perspective toward the questions of life that I can give God honor.
My curiosity, a gift, led to my life-long learning, and my attitude is the choice I make as a “Cup of Salvation”— my offering that honors God.
Prayer: Gracious and loving God, continue to lead me this Lenten season to ways of honoring you in how I respond to the life you have given me. Amen. – Audrey Benjamin – North Mankato, MN
Here are the weekly COVID-19 statistics for Beaver County, PA as of March 17, 2022, with both indexes leveling off after decreasing from recent record highs.
The Incidence Rate increased slightly from 40.3 to 40.8 (an increase of 0.5, or 1.2%) remaining in the SUBSTANTIALcategory for the second time in 29 weeks.
The PCR Positivity Rate increased slightly from 4.4 to 4.7, remaining in the LOW category.
(Allegheny County’s figures also leveled off in the MODERATE category during the past week, moving from 36.5 to 31.2 and from 4.4% to 4.7%.)
Beaver County continues to be classified as MODERATEon the original PA DOH scale aa well as MODERATEon the CDC scale.
Note: Levels are anticipated to swing significantly upward in the coming weeks with the arrival of the extremely contagious new BA.2 Omicron variant.
The new “COVID-19 COMMUNITY LEVEL” index:
Starting on March 3, 2022, for hospitals and healthcare systems, the CDC is also issuing a new “COVID-19 Community Level“ index that measures the “current potential for strain on the health system” (in other words, the ability of hospitals to take in and treat additional folks with COVID-19.)
This new index is in addition to the CDC’s “COVID-19 Integrated County View” which they continue to publish each week.
The CDC currently reports that current “COVID-19 Community Level” is LOW, meaning that hospital beds are available for new COVID-19 cases.
At Central Church, in order to look out for our older folks, as well as the unvaccinated or immunocompromised, we are continuing to look to the CDC’s“COVID-19 Integrated County View”to evaluate which protective measures and protocols that we should observe to protect all of the folks who come through our doors for in-person worship or for other reasons, such as to participate in our community feeding ministry outreach.
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 5.8, so resuming small group meetings may not be feasible for the near 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
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. )
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel: it is the power of God for salvation to every one who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
We all struggle with doubts – uncertainty about the future, ourselves, our faith. These may last a few moments or stretch into days, even years. When bad things happen, my faith quivers— school shootings, domestic violence, terrorist attacks, the list goes on. The cup of Salvation eludes me.
On 9/11, I was in my office across the street from the US Capitol. I didn’t leave until after United 93 crashed in Pennsylvania, and the Pentagon was hit. I cried on the 20th anniversary watching the coverage, reliving the day. As shattering as it was, I will never forget the horror of the realization that there can be so much hatred and pure evil in the world. In the movie “Oh, God,” Jerry Landers (played by John Denver) asked God (portrayed by George Burns), “Why is there so much evil in the world?” And God told him: “It’s up to us— we can love each other or kill each other.” I have to wonder – why can’t we all get along?
When things are going badly, and I can’t find my way out of whatever hole I’m in, I listen to my heart and find comfort that God is with me and will stay with me no matter what. It stills my troubled heart and calms my fears. So, THERE’S my cup of Salvation!
Prayer: Loving God – thank you for being with us at all times, through good days and heartaches, tragedies, and happiness. We find strength and hope in our belief in you. Amen.
How is the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) responding?
UMCOR’s work in Ukraine is being funded with gifts to Advance #982450, International Disaster Response and Recovery. Grants for immediate relief have been given to United Methodist partners in Ukraine as well as neighboring nations—Poland, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia—to support those who remain in Ukraine as well as those who have fled the violence. In addition, grants are being awarded to partners like ACT Alliance, a global faith-based coalition working in 120 countries around the world. These grants are providing humanitarian assistance in the form of food, water, clothing, shelter and other necessary supplies.
We are in continuous dialogue with UMC entities and other partners throughout Europe to identify additional ways UMCOR might assist. The situation in Eastern Europe is evolving and Global Ministries and UMCOR will continue to respond in the months and years ahead.
How can I support those still in Ukraine and those fleeing the violence?
At this time, all gifts to UMCOR’s International Disaster Response and Recovery Advance will be used to assist those who remain in Ukraine and those who have fled the violence to neighboring nations. Gifts can be made in the following ways:
By check made out to Global Ministries/UMCOR with “Advance #982450-Ukraine” written on the memo line and mailed to Global Ministries/UMCOR, GPO, P.O. Box 9068, New York, NY, 10087-9068
By check made out to Global Ministries/UMCOR with “Advance #982450-Ukraine” written on the memo line and given to any United Methodist church
UMCOR does not ship relief kits or other supplies internationally. While the need is great and it is tempting to assist by shipping clothes, shoes and diapers, the cost is high. Instead, we encourage you to help us assist our partners in securing supplies in Europe.
This is less costly than shipping supplies, helps local economies and ensures that materials received are the materials needed at any given time. Your gift will allow us to procure materials and supplies locally.
Thank you for your willingness to serve. UMCOR does not recruit international volunteers to assist in emergencies globally. Instead, we work with partners who employ people or recruit volunteers locally. While UMC partners on the ground have indicated that they look forward to the time when they can receive volunteers, they now need to devote themselves to assisting refugees and their immediate needs and do not have the capacity to provide for the logistic and linguistic needs of volunteers. In time, there may be opportunities for volunteer teams to assist with rebuilding or help in other ways. Months from now, UMC leadership in these areas may send out a call for volunteers.
The U.S. is not yet receiving Ukranian refugees, except in cases of family reunification. When it does, UMCOR will be working with its long-standing partner, Church World Service (CWS), to resettle those granted permission to enter the country. In the interim, CWS would welcome your help resettling Afghan refugees.
Our church wants to have a direct relationship with a UMC congregation in Ukraine or Eastern Europe. Can you provide us with contact information?
As a general best practice, UMCOR does not refer people to our partners on the ground because they are busy responding to the crisis at hand. Staff of Global Ministries and UMCOR are open to speaking with congregations, mission committees and other groups about our work, virtually or in-person.
Is The United Methodist Church active in Ukraine? In Russia? In surrounding regions?
Ukraine covers over 233,000 square miles, extending from the borders of Poland and Romania to the west, bordering Russia on the east and south and touching on Russia and Belarus on the north. The majority of the Ukrainian population—more than 40 million people—is affiliated with Eastern Orthodox Christianity, through both the Russian Orthodox Church and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Roman Catholics, Muslims, Jews and Protestants are a small minority of the population.
The UMC expanded in Eastern Europe following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989. New United Methodist congregations and student ministries emerged, assisted by missionaries, mission volunteers and teams.
Although Ukraine declared its independence from Russia in 1991, relations have not been easy. In 2014, for example, Russia seized and annexed Crimea, resulting in the loss of five Ukrainian UMC congregations which were transferred to the South Russia Annual Conference.
Now there are 10 United Methodist Churches in Ukraine, strategically located in larger cities, with a combined membership of approximately 500 people. The Ukrainian-Moldova Provisional Annual Conference is part of the Eurasia Episcopal Area, which includes seven nations: Ukraine, Moldova, Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. Bishop Eduard Khegay is the bishop of the Eurasia Episcopal Area.
There are three other episcopal areas in Europe: Central and Southern Europe Area (Bishop Patrick Streiff); German Area (Bishop Harald Ruckert); and Nordic and Baltic Area (Bishop Christian Alsted.) All of these episcopal areas are welcoming refugees from Ukraine.
What prayer can I lift up for the people of Ukraine?
This intercessory prayer was written for World Day of Prayer by the women of England, Wales and Northern Ireland, on February 25, 2022:
God of the past, the present and the future,
Our thoughts and prayers are with our sisters and brothers in Ukraine and the surrounding countries in their fear and distress.
We pray too for all other regions of the world where there is conflict, unrest or oppression.
We pray that reconciliation will overcome hatred, peace will conquer war, hope will replace despair and that your plans for the region will be fulfilled,
God, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
The General Board of Global Ministries is the global mission, relief and development agency of The United Methodist Church. The work of Global Ministries includes 17 programs organized around four missional priorities: Missionaries, Evangelism and Church Revitalization, Global Health and Humanitarian Relief and Recovery, which includes the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR). UMCOR is dedicated to alleviating human suffering and advancing hope and healing through disaster response and support of global migration.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies; thou anointest my head with oil, my cup overflows.
In the Bible, a cup can be a cup (Matthew 26:27), or it can be a metaphor for an abundance of providential destiny—welcome or unwelcome. A cup can symbolize blessings, saving grace, the righteous anger of God, disaster, consolation, or the sacrifice and suffering of our Lord.
These metaphorical cups reflect two connected themes: God’s divine judgment and God’s merciful redemption. Jesus “drank” the cup of wrath on our behalf so that we might, by faith, “drink” the cup of eternal life. Praise God!
In Psalm 116, the Psalmist shares his reaction to deliverance from trouble, sorrow, and death.
“I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living….”
“I will take the cup of Salvation and call upon the name of the Lord….”
“I will pay my vows unto the Lord in the presence of all His people….”
“I will offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and I will call upon the Lord.”
– Psalm 116:12,9,13,14,17
No matter what circumstances I face, my response can be gratitude. God so loved the world that He sent His only Son to die for us, and whoever believes in Him will not perish but will have everlasting life. For that alone, I should be the most grateful individual on Earth!
Prayer: Dear Lord, I will lift the cup of Salvation heavenward this Easter. Thank you for filling it with Jesus. Amen.
We pray for all those caught up in violence, remembering especially the people of Ukraine; that in this time of fear and conflict, they may know God’s presence and peace.
We pray for all those suffering from hunger as a result of conflict and injustice, in countries such as Sierra Leone, Afghanistan and Ethiopia.
We pray for our parish and our local community: that in this time of Lent, we may reach out in solidarity to our brothers and sisters in need.
35 For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.
Matthew 13: 44-45
44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls,
When I was little, there was a catchphrase one would quickly call out if some treasure, like a shiny marble or lost baseball, were found without an owner present. “Finders keepers…Losers weepers!” Until a recent Google search, I never realized my childhood shout-out was an old Roman proverb, going back to the playwright Plautus before the time of Christ. Might Jesus as a boy have heard a Roman legionnaire exclaim?
Jesus told parables of finding a buried treasure in a field and the pearl of great price, but, unlike in the old Roman proverb, the finder must give up all they have to possess the joy of the treasure. Thus, once again, Jesus turns the ways and wisdom of the world upside down on its head.
As a young man, I studied Latin to become a professor or an archeologist in a faraway country. God’s call diverted my love of classics to proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ.
“Losing” my career dream led to “finding” the treasures of forty years of ordained ministry which included teaching in the seminary and pastoring in the local church. A losing weeper became a finding keeper— and so can you.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, by your gracious mercy, may we experience the paradox of your wisdom, that only in losing ourselves do we become the finders and keepers of your most genuine treasures, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
“There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.” Proverbs 6:16-19
As the attention of the world turns to the ignored cries for peace from the people of Ukraine, we, the people of Central Church, join our prayers with those of churches and people of faith all over the globe that the attack against Ukraine will cease.
We call for the de-escalation of violence and a return to diplomatic negotiations, the only true way conflict ever ceases.
We urge everyone to pray throughout the day for peace and protection against the evils of war for the people whose lives and well-being are in danger, and to make today a day of collective prayer and fasting for a peace that only God can bring.
O Lord, God of life, as you care for all creation, give us your peace. May our security come not from weapons, but from respect. May our strength come not from violence, but from love. May our own wealth come not from money, but from sharing.
May our path be not one of ambition, but of justice. May our victory not be one of revenge, but of forgiveness. Unarmed and confident, help us to defend the dignity of all creation. Sharing today and always the bread of solidarity and peace. Amen.
13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord,
A beautiful song comes to mind, and I find myself humming its soothing tune. The words resonate deeply as I ponder the giver and the receiver-the divine and the human- that there is no distinction. “One bread, one body, one Lord of all…one cup of blessing which we bless…”
This cup of blessing is a free gift of grace from God–Love poured out toward all of creation, and I am but a small breath of time, yet extravagantly beloved for all eternity. In considering this blessing that is my life, how am I to respond? I can do no other than to bless as well.
From this one blessing given, I began writing prayers. Asked by our parish priest to compose special “Prayers of the People” to observe the first anniversary of September 11th, I’ve written the “Prayers of the People” weekly for the last nineteen years. I share those prayers with friends and other congregations, and I hope they bless those who hear them.
I pray you spend time in silence and solitude uncovering your own cup of blessing and the mercy that is our salvation.
Prayer: In thanksgiving for every Eucharist of blessing, O Lord, we bless and praise your Holy Name. Blessed forever, we are one in You. Amen.
On February 22, 2022, the Russian Federation violated international law by invading the independent state of Ukraine.
Central Church stands in solidarity with the citizens and civil society of Ukraine, and all those impacted by this war.
To understand the situation and provide support, we encourage you to be a part of the solution in the following 9 ways:
Be aware of the influence of false narratives, media manipulation, and disinformation. Strategies of mis- and disinformation are deliberate. They erode trust and create friction and confusion, increasing the divide in society. Democracy depends on truth. Critically assess the material coming through social media channels and news outlets. Self-paced classes are available on HiveMind for improving media literacy. On March 3, HiveMind hosted a webinar on combatting disinformation specific to the invasion of Ukraine. This was presented in Polish — an English presentation is expected to be held soon.
Be prepared to stop the spread of inaccurate information. Please do not share information if you are not certain of its source or accuracy.
If you would like to provide financial support to organizations in Ukraine, consider a contribution to Save Life.
Learn more about cybersecurity needs in Ukraine: Only 6 percent of respondents in TSGN partner GURT Resource Center’s digital transformation 2020 survey indicated that their organization had undergone an information security audit.
Donate to the Civil Society Security Strengthening Initiative to help grassroots nonprofits and civil society organizations in Ukraine and across Eastern and Central Europe remain resilient in the face of powerful threats and hostile environments.
and especially, PRAY for the people of Ukraine, Russia and all nations effected by war:
Holy God,
Hear our prayers for all those who will die today because of war in Ukraine and other war-torn countries all over this world. Grant them an end to the suffering of this world and eternal peace that is only found in You.
We pray for the people of Ukraine, Russia, and all nations — that war and bloodshed can be avoided and a new, just peace can be forged out of this crisis. We ask God grant wisdom to the leaders of nations, calling them to end provocation on all sides and invest instead in “the things that make for peace” as called for in all our faith traditions (Luke 19:41-2).
We pray for an end to the deep insecurity and mistrust on all sides, and call on leaders to build trust, based not on military might or alliances, but on the basis of our shared future and common humanity. Now is a time in which past harm should be acknowledged and addressed, and new partnerships can be envisioned.
We pray for and call on our leaders to have the courage to take small, verifiable, and independent steps toward peace, inviting others to reciprocate. Now is time to invest in conflict resolution, diplomacy, and international cooperation — not more weapons which only escalate tension in the region.
Be with those suffering in ways that we cannot.
Protect them from devastation in ways those positioned in authority will not. Shield and comfort them as they confront the terror of violence that surrounds them. Hold them close to your heart and stay the hand of the enemies against them. Give us the courage and the strength to cry aloud against wickedness in high places that dare to harm others made in your image.
Comfort the children and heed their cries to be saved from harm in this world.
Make us a people who love our children, all of our children, more than we love greed, power, and control. Overturn governments of tyranny wherever they are found. Disrupt the intentions of evil and give us power to stand against demonic forces of greed and control. Grant that peace and justice come to warring nations by the hands of those courageous enough to stand and study war no more. Let Thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven, we pray.
20 “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near.
Every kitchen and hotel room in the United States has one thing in common, a coffee pot. Not all the same, but the pots all make that first cup of coffee most people think they need to start their day. As I enjoyed my cup of coffee this morning, I thought about the cup of Salvation, given to every one of us who believe in the risen Savior, Jesus the Christ.
We tend to take that cup of coffee for granted; it will be there wherever we are, but how often do we think about that cup of Salvation that is also there no matter where we are? During this season of Lent, let us remember that Jesus prepared that cup for each of us with his shed blood, providing deliverance from guilt and the power of sin for us.
As we enjoy that first cup of coffee, let us remember the grace and mercy given freely to each of us but paid in full by Jesus our Lord to all who believe.
Prayer: Help us to remember every day the sacrifice you made for us and the wonderful gift of the cup of Salvation you provided for each of us. Amen.
On this sunny and cold warm second Sunday in March, 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.
Today’s online worship service includes a favorite HYMN with lyrics so you can sing along!
AND…
Both the video on Facebook and the video on YouTube now have closed captions (if you turn them on) so you can read along with the spoken words during the service!
To activate captions in Facebook, click on the Settings “gear” symbol in the bottom right corner of the image, and then click on the “Off” button to change it to “On” for “Auto-Generated Captions”.
To activate captions in YouTube, click on the “CC” icon in the lower right corner of the image to toggle captions On and Off.
A brief comment on our new closed caption capability – The closed captions on our videos use voice-recognition software similar to that used on Television broadcasts, and with similar accuracy! Sometimes, the captions are not entirely accurate, so if you read something incongruous, back up the video a few seconds and listen carefully for what is actually being said.
Also, it takes a while to generate the captions after the videos are published, so if the captions are not available immediately after the video is published, just check back a little later.
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:
17 I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the Lord.
The dancer took her place at the front of the sanctuary. Her body was loosely bent, her head bowed, and her arms draped lightly to her sides. As the pianist’s notes and choir voices joined together, “…Fill My Cup, Lord…” began to reverberate throughout the sacred space.
The dancer stretched and raised her right hand in a graceful upswept arc to the left; then, in a moment, with her left hand mirrored the movement to the right, the emerging shape of a chalice could be discerned in the air. During the following minutes, the dancer illustrated the prayerful words of the entire song.
The congregation’s worshippers, long accustomed to the gifts of vocal and instrumental music, were moved to both hear and see the plea for filling sustenance and the hope for overflowing wholeness. The rhythmic movement of fingers striking piano keys, the range of vocal inflections and facial expressions, and the expressive choreographed steps attested to hours of practice and planning attuned to innate abilities and learned skills.
As the concluding chord and last syllable rang, the dancer’s final pose fixed, the offering lingered; indeed, a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving was made to the Lord.
Prayer: Thanks be to you, O God! We are forever grateful for your sacrifice of love poured out in Jesus. Let our offerings of time, abilities, talents, material resources, and constant prayer be a sacrifice of thanksgiving from our hearts to yours. In Christ, Amen.
5 The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; thou holdest my lot.
A cup may be full of blessings or curses. Read on to drink from the cup of blessing! They canceled school. Instead of doing homework I went sledding. As I returned home from sleigh riding in the new-fallen snow, Mom handed me a steaming cup of homemade hot chocolate. What a cup of blessing!
When the Hebrew people lifted a cup of drink to their lips, they tasted blessing. They drank from a cup of abundance as the fruit of their land flourished, blessed by sunshine, rain, and protection from their enemies. For short, King David says, “The Lord is …my cup”. The Lord is the Shepherd who provides the cup.
A cup was also a cup of judgment in the Bible because Israel fixed its desire on things other than God alone. As such, the people must drink this “cup of his wrath.” Every one of us has set our hearts on things other than God. For this, the punishment is the cup of His wrath. Now, we celebrate the cross and resurrection because Jesus drank from the cup of God’s wrath freeing us from the punishment for our sins. Now, the cup Jesus offers is the cup of forgiveness for sin. The cup of his curse became the cup of our blessing. Drink from his cup of blessing today!
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for drinking the cup of the curse that I may drink your cup of blessing. In Jesus’s name, I pray. Amen.
Here are the weekly COVID-19 statistics for Beaver County, PA as of March 10, 2022, with both indexes continuing decreases from recent record highs.
The Incidence Rate decreased from 117.7 to 59.1 (a decrease of 58.6, or 49.7%) moving down into the SUBSTANTIALcategory for the first time in 29 weeks.
The PCR Positivity Rate decreased from 9.0 to 5.0 in the MODERATE category.
(Allegheny County’s figures also continued the recent downward trend into the MODERATE category during the past week, moving from 65.8 to 36.5 and from 5.7% to 4.4%.)
Beaver County continues to be classified as MODERATEon the original PA DOH scale and SUBSTANTIALon the CDC scale, although it is trending toward the MODERATE category.
The new “COVID-19 COMMUNITY LEVEL” index:
Starting on March 3, 2022, for hospitals and healthcare systems, the CDC is also issuing a new “COVID-19 Community Level“ index that measures the “current potential for strain on the health system” (in other words, the ability of hospitals to take in and treat additional folks with COVID-19.)
This new index is in addition to the CDC’s “COVID-19 Integrated County View” which they continue to publish each week.
The CDC currently reports that current “COVID-19 Community Level” is LOW, meaning that hospital beds are available for new COVID-19 cases.
At Central Church, in order to look out for our older folks, as well as the unvaccinated or immunocompromised, we are continuing to look to the CDC’s“COVID-19 Integrated County View”to evaluate which protective measures and protocols that we should observe to protect all of the folks who come through our doors for in-person worship or for other reasons, such as to participate in our community feeding ministry outreach.
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 8.4, so resuming small group meetings may not be feasible for the near 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
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. )
16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation[a] in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation[b] in the body of Christ?
Cups are an essential part of life. A cup of coffee first thing in the morning. A cup of hot chocolate that warms us on a chilly day. In our churches, we use cups to celebrate Holy Communion. We recall legends that knights of old went on quests for the Holy Grail, believed to be the cup Jesus used at the Last Supper. Despite never being found, tales persist about what happened to it.
The Bible often uses the cup as a metaphor for suffering. Isaiah speaks of the “cup of his wrath,” meaning punishment for disobedience. Also, Ezekiel speaks of the “cup of horror and desolation.” Jesus, in the Garden of Gethsemane, facing great pain, prayed, “Father, if you are willing, let this cup pass from me.” Again, a cup symbolized anguish – a life or an experience of difficulty, pain, and bitterness.
But not always. Sometimes it is a cup of blessing. Such has been my good fortune to experience. Reflecting on the blessings I have enjoyed: a family I cherish, countless friends who have blessed my life, and a church that has enriched me all along the way. Psalm 23 best describes my feeling: “My cup overflows.”
Prayer: O God, in this Lenten season and every season, make us grateful for the countless blessings we enjoy and the strength you provide to face difficulty when it comes. Amen.
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
In the 1989 film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Indy takes up his father’s lifelong quest to find the actual cup Jesus used at the last supper, the Holy Grail. In doing so, he also hopes to rescue his dad from his Nazi captors. There’s a scene near the movie’s end where Indy must pick the True Grail, with eternal consequences: life or death for himself, as well as his father, who lies dying from a gunshot wound in the outer chamber. Naturally (as the hero), he chooses wisely, selecting a well-worn earthenware cup from among dozens of jewel-encrusted gold and silver false grails, saying, “That’s the cup of a carpenter.” (I recommend watching this scene on YouTube when you get a chance.)
While Indiana Jones’s character is often flamboyant, he also exhibits humility, especially at critical times, such as the scene I described above. Like Indy, I occasionally draw attention to myself unnecessarily. Not so sure about the humility part, though. For that, I look to the author and perfector of the faith (Heb. 12:2 & Eph. 2:8), my trustworthy Savior, Christ Jesus, who humbly emptied himself unto death on a cross (Philippians 2:7-8). To me, the cup of Salvation is one of humility. May I be reminded to drink fully and joyfully from it daily…
Prayer: Lord, gracefully help me to be humble like you, more and more each day. Amen.
8 We want you to know, brethren, about the grace of God which has been shown in the churches of Macedo′nia, 2 for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of liberality on their part. 3 For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own free will, 4 begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints— 5 and this, not as we expected, but first they gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God.
When I think of a cup, I think of how God has poured and continues to pour mercy and love out for us. One of the most beautiful parts of this thought is when we receive God’s mercy and blessing, we cannot help but continue to pour out that love and abundance on others.
It overflows out of our hearts into our communities. The past couple of years were full of uncertainty, loss, and grief. In light of all our world has experienced, it struck me that sacrifice and Salvation can feel too close to home and challenging to comprehend.
We see so much hurt in our world and are hurting deeply, ourselves. While God’s comfort, grace, and Salvation remain constant, who we are and what we have to give has changed. I think of Paul’s description of the Macedonian church—that in suffering and poverty, they remained openhearted and shared what they could while trusting in Christ.
It is a reminder that God’s mercy and compassion for us are abundant blessings, no matter what our lives hold, and are gifts we can share with others with open hearts.
Prayer: God, we ask through joy and abundance, and even trials and loss, you remind us of your presence and the hope you offer in our lives. We are grateful for blessings and ask you guide us to share your love in all the ways we can. Amen.
• United Methodists in Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland are providing shelter, food and other help for those who have fled Ukraine.
• In western Ukraine, United Methodists also are helping those fleeing from farther east in the besieged country.
• Across the United Methodist connection, people are praying and offering financial support for relief efforts.
Prayer for Ukraine, by Kayla Craig
O God of peace, our hearts are heavy And our brains can barely keep up with the breaking news.
We don’t know what to say or what to do in a world so wounded.
So we come to you with hearts heavy for
All who sit in the crossfires of violence and acts of war.
O God of peace, be with the people of Ukraine. With the mothers who carry babies to subway shelters.
With the fathers who hold their heads in their hands.
With the children who absorb the traumas.
Of violent acts of powerful men.
O God of peace, we don’t know the words to pray For a warring world and all who are vulnerable in it.
We don’t pretend to know the extent of the damages
Or what tomorrow (or today) will bring.
But we know that you are a God of peace
And we can’t bomb our way to shalom.
O God of peace, comfort the crying and heal the hurt. Tend the aching and soothe the fearful.
Make us instruments of your peace
Creating a sacred symphony where
Rhythms of grace are danced upon
And evil has lost its sting, now and forevermore. O God of peace, hear our prayer.
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.
God makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. … God breaks the bow and shatters the spear; God burns the shields with fire. God says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
– Psalm 46:9-10 (NRSV)
God of peace,
Russia has invaded the Ukraine and war seems inevitable.
Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy.
God of wisdom,
Rain down your Spirit onto the leaders of the world
That they might find a way where there is no way.
Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy.
God of comfort,
Wrap the grieving ones in your cloak of consolation.
Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy.
God of courage,
Be present with all those who are in harm’s way.
17 Therefore, if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come.
I am writing in turbulent and frightening times. Perhaps any writer in history could say the same, for life on Earth continues to be challenging. Yet, the season of Lent comes again, inviting us into self-reflection and thanksgiving.
One spiritual practice I missed during this pandemic was the sacrament of Communion. Before, my wife and I often served the Lord’s Supper at our church. I experienced something deeply mystical while looking into the faces of our fellow believers and sharing the cup and the bread. In those moments, I felt Christ’s love and light radiating from me.
Paul wrote of us being a new creation in Christ. During Lent, we remember Jesus’ journey to the cross and his sacrificing his body and blood for us. In sharing the cup at Communion, Christ reminds me of His great love for us and our Salvation.
Perhaps this Lenten season will renew our opportunity for face-to-face Communion. When we do, let us again give thanks to the Lord for his steadfast mercy and grace. Our human life here may have its share of heartache and struggle, but if we belong to Christ, we have the assurance of new creation and eternal life. “The old has passed away, behold the new has come.” Thanks be to God!
Prayer: Lord, we thank you for your great, abiding love for us in every moment of every day. Amen.
13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord,
When our smallest grandchild was two, her older brother and sister taught her the gesture of toasting using her little plastic cup. One day when she came to our house, without anyone noticing, she went into our china cabinet and picked out the largest goblet she could find. Triumphantly, she entered the room where we were and raised the glass to us all. Everyone scrambled to get the breakable glass away from her, but the joyful look on her face was priceless.
In today’s Scripture, we learn that the ancient Hebrews lifted a cup of Salvation to God in response to all he had done for them. It seems like an odd custom, but it makes me wonder—how do we celebrate God’s goodness to us? Raising our glasses in praise? What about praying before our meal? Telling others of His wonder? Or do we feel compelled to give special donations in response to answered prayers? Do we thank Him every night for the blessing of His presence with us? When He looks down, does He see joyful looks on our faces? We need to find our largest goblets and raise them to the Lord!
Prayer: Father, we thank you for our many blessings. Please teach us how to praise you. Amen.
On this sunny and unseasonably warm first Sunday in March, 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.
Today’s online worship service includes a favorite HYMN with lyrics so you can sing along!
AND…
Both the video on Facebook and the video on YouTube now have closed captions (if you turn them on) so you can read along with the spoken words during the service!
To activate captions in Facebook, click on the Settings “gear” symbol in the bottom right corner of the image, and then click on the “Off” button to change it to “On” for “Auto-Generated Captions”.
To activate captions in YouTube, click on the “CC” icon in the lower right corner of the image to toggle captions On and Off.
A brief comment on our new closed caption capability – The closed captions on our videos use voice-recognition software similar to that used on Television broadcasts, and with similar accuracy! Sometimes, the captions are not entirely accurate, so if you read something incongruous, back up the video a few seconds and listen carefully for what is actually being said.
Also, it takes a while to generate the captions after the videos are published, so if the captions are not available immediately after the video is published, just check back a little later.
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:
12 I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
3 For by the grace given to me I bid every one among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith which God has assigned him.
I first entertained the idea of “giving up something” for Lent in graduate school. I gave up bread and sweets. I have to admit it didn’t mean much. I simply waited until the following Sunday to have my “treat.” Years later, my minister suggested a true Lenten sacrifice takes creativity and commitment. “Whatever ‘it’ is, it needs to hurt.” We must ask ourselves, “What can we give that can compare to the pain and suffering Jesus experienced?”
I thought about what I could give. Attention? Discipline? Time? All of the Above? Since considering Lent to be a time of sacrificial love, my outlook has changed. I joined book groups, completed bible studies, and became a Stephen Minister. Each season, I listen for God’s direction. Most often, a situation presents itself which requires my response. Ironically, these are the times when “it” hurts. At church on Easter Sunday morning, I feel a sense of inner peace and am in awe of God’s power and desire to see me through the rough patches.
Prayer: God, our Father, help us reshape the image of what a Lenten sacrifice can be. Guide us to be more giving and less consumed by habit and routine. Make us more willing to direct our energy and use our talents to do Your will in our communities and the world. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Here are the weekly COVID-19 statistics for Beaver County, PA as of March 3, 2022, with both indexes continuing decreases from recent record highs.
The Incidence Rate decreased from 160.4 to 117.7 (a decrease of 42.7, or 26.6%) in the HIGHcategory.
The PCR Positivity Rate decreased from 11.2 to 9.0 moving into the MODERATE category for the first time in 22 weeks.
(Allegheny County’s figures also continued the recent downward trend into the MODERATE category during the past week, moving from 85.7 to 65.8 and from 7.5% to 5.7%.)
Beaver County continues to be classified as SUBSTANTIAL on the original PA DOH scale and HIGH on the CDC scale, although it is trending toward the MODERATE category.
The new “COVID-19 COMMUNITY LEVEL” index:
Starting in March 2022, for hospitals and healthcare systems, the CDC is also issuing a new “COVID-19 Community Level“ index that measures the “current potential for strain on the health system” (in other words, the ability of hospitals to take in and treat additional folks with COVID-19.)
This new index is in addition to the CDC’s “COVID-19 Integrated County View” which they continue to publish each week.
The CDC currently reports that current “COVID-19 Community Level” is LOW, meaning that hospital beds are available for new COVID-19 cases.
At Central Church, in order to look out for our older folks, as well as the unvaccinated or immunocompromised, we are continuing to look to the CDC’s“COVID-19 Integrated County View”to evaluate which protective measures and protocols that we should observe to protect all of the folks who come through our doors for in-person worship or for other reasons, such as to participate in our community feeding ministry outreach.
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 16.8, 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
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. )
29 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures for ever!
I am reminded as a clergyperson whenever I raise the cup during “The Great Thanksgiving” in a worship service, I am lifting the “Cup of Salvation.” When the pandemic dictated attending church online, I questioned how to offer Holy Communion.
I grieved I would not receive The Lord’s Supper in the foreseeable future. However, I came to believe God is present in online worship services. For months, I poured grape juice into tiny plastic cups, put a dinner roll on a plate, and carried them into our home office. Whenever the “online pastor” offered the prayer over the bread and the cup, I would break a piece of the roll and hand it to my husband, saying, “The Body of Christ broken and given for you” and after that, I handed him a cup saying, “The Blood of Christ poured out for you.”
He would do the same for me. It was a blessing to us both. We received it with thankful hearts remembering that wherever two or three gather in Christ’s name, Christ is present.
During Lent, may we all reflect on how God in Christ through the Holy Spirit moves in mysterious ways, even throughout a computer screen during a pandemic!
Prayer: O God, we bless you for always being present to us. Grant that we may continue to give you thanks, remembering your goodness and steadfast love, which endures forever. Amen.
A few years ago, the world was thrown into confusion and chaos. The Middle East had oil, and the rest of the world wanted that oil. This was a crisis situation. The perception was that we were running out of oil. In reality, that wasn’t the situation at all. We were not running out of oil. As Larry O’Nan described it, “The core problem was a matter of imbalance, greed, and selfishness. Competition had created an environment where we thought we needed to get something before someone else got it.”
Just as perception created an illusion that the world was running out of oil, perception has created an illusion when it comes to giving to the work of the Lord and to His ministry at Central United Methodist Church. The perception is that our financial resources are insufficient to enable us to give. Some of us think that we simply cannot afford to give.
But that’s not the situation at all. Even poverty is not a reason for not giving to the Lord. The Christians in Macedonia were very poor. As 2 Corinthians 8:2 describes them, they were in “extreme poverty.” Yet, even in that situation, they were full of joy and gave as much as they were able — and more. How could they do that?
The reason they gave abundantly, eagerly and willingly out of their “extreme poverty” was that they “gave themselves first to the Lord.” That’s the secret of giving that honors God. When we give ourselves to Him wholeheartedly, without reservation, then our financial resources will follow.
During the reign of Oliver Cromwell, the government ran out of silver with which to make coins. Cromwell sent his men everywhere to see if they could find more of the precious metal. They returned to report that the only silver they could find was in the statues of the saints which were on display in various cathedrals. “Good,” replied Cromwell. “We will melt down the saints and put them into circulation.”
As you consider the offering which will be received next Sunday at Central United Methodist Church, and as you consider the resources God has placed at your disposal, will you be “melted down” for His service and His glory? Like the Macedonian Christians, will you — regardless of your financial situation — first give yourself to the Lord and then allow your financial resources to follow?
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God— 9 not because of works, lest any man should boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
A neighbor’s husband recently died unexpectedly, even as we all believed his health was improving. Of course, the pandemic made getting together with her complex as she scurried about making funeral preparations. Times like this always seem to involve food. So, we purchased a good selection of various types of fruit to be available for a quick healthy pick-me-up snack for her.
When we finally caught her at home and gave her the bags of fruit, one would have thought that we had delivered a feast. Her smile and “thank-yous” were an unexpected blessing for us. The fruit fit the bill for her perfectly. She said she could not stop and take the time to eat, but now she could grab a piece of fruit and eat it on the run.
Often, we fail to realize God is good, as He helps us do what is right for others in a timely manner. Too often, we hesitate and miss the window of opportunity to help.
These opportunities often require us to set aside our planned activities so we can do the things in God’s plan.
Prayer: Father God, help us be more aware of the opportunities you put before us to be your hands and feet. Thank you for allowing us to share your love with those in need. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
13 For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love be servants of one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Michael Gorman writes in his book, Cruciformity, about Paul’s understanding of freedom in Christ through the Spirit in Galatians 5:13-14: “the freedom of the Spirit is the freedom to love, to become servants of one another.”
As I write this reflection, today’s Washington Post reported 184,884 COVID-19 cases the day before. The 7-day average of new cases was about 140,000 a day. Likewise, deaths and hospitalizations increased dramatically over the past four weeks as people returned from vacations and began a new school cycle and jobs.
I asked myself this morning if there is a Christian response to this war against an infectious, deadly virus. For me, the answer is yes. Jesus and his interpreters like Paul, and Gorman, believe that with the cup of Salvation comes the responsibility to “become servants of one another.” That means we care about all peoples’ health, welfare, and general flourishing, whether family, friends, neighbors, or even enemies. The best way to do that is to act out of love in this time of pandemic by being vaccinated, wearing masks, and practicing safe distancing.
Christian love expressed as servanthood to others directly impacts our families, friends, and communities. I believe it will profoundly deter the spread of the COVID-19 virus and diminish the opportunities for new, more robust variants to be created. Also, I believe eternity is steeped in this same servanthood to Christ and others.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, let the Spirit fill our hearts with love for you and each other that we might serve you and one another to your glory through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Scripture: Psalm 116: 13 – 
While Beaver County continues its downward trend of the past 8 weeks into the Moderate category, COVID-19 is once again becoming a growing concern around us.
On this cold and snowy fourth Sunday in March, the Sunday on which we celebrate UMCOR Sunday, and 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.
Scripture: 
What that little wooden cup symbolizes, however, brings more than contentment. It represents the great mystery of faith, often recited before receiving Communion in our church: Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again. It represents the Cup of Salvation: the cup of thanksgiving, forgiveness, all of God’s
As the pandemic continues, we are continuing our efforts to:
We pray for all those caught up in violence, remembering especially the people of Ukraine; that in this time of fear and conflict, they may know God’s presence and peace.
The dancer stretched and raised her right hand in a graceful upswept arc to the left; then, in a moment, with her left hand mirrored the movement to the right, the emerging shape of a chalice could be discerned in the air. During the following minutes, the dancer illustrated the prayerful words of the entire song.
Pastor Jan has been selected as one of the individuals in Beaver Falls who is striving to foster positive change in our City. 
he had done for them. It seems like an odd custom, but it makes me wonder—how do we celebrate God’s
A few years ago, the world was thrown into confusion and chaos. The Middle East had oil, and the rest of the world wanted that oil. This was a crisis situation. The perception was that we were running out of oil. In reality, that wasn’t the situation at all. We were not running out of oil. As Larry O’Nan described it, “The core problem was a matter of imbalance, greed, and selfishness. Competition had created an environment where we thought we needed to get something before someone else got it.”
Central United Methodist Church Beaver Falls 