Grace Peters

Galatians 3: 26-29) So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith...(29) if you belong to Christ you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."

Sundays were usually special days in our household. First we went to Sunday School, then to church and after church, we had pizza for lunch. Moods were usually pretty happy, but one exception was the day that our second son learned the story of Jacob and Esau in his Sunday School class. He was out raged that the first born son would inherit the birth right and the blessing.

It took some doing for us to convince him that the law of primogeniture was an Old Testament law and that through Christ, we are all first born children of God. Christ took on our sin and died for us so that we are no longer bound by Old Testament laws. We are ALL children of God through faith not inheritance!

Prayer:  Dear God, thank you for sending your first born son, Jesus, to die for our sins so that all of us will inherit your blessing of eternal life through faith. Amen

Susanne Udvari  

Son Exposure

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”   Psalm 119:105

Those of you who love gardening, as I do, know that all plants require sun exposure to grow.  Light energy is essential to creating the sugars and starches that sustain the plant.

We also require the light of God’s word to sustain us each day.  I know our schedules can be full, life’s circumstances create cloudy conditions, and we let too much busyness crowd out the time spent reading God’s word, praying, or just listening for His guidance.  If we do this we can get stuck in a dark corner.

It doesn’t matter whether we spend time in the morning or spend time at night, or just shoot arrow prayers to the Lord throughout the day, or read a single verse and think about it later,  we need the nourishment for our spirit to grow and thrive.  We need to go to the food source that God provides, just as our plants need sun to grow.  Remember that a few minutes of “Sonlight” peeking through life’s clouds is better than spending a day in the darkness.

Prayer:  Lord, forgive me for the days when I prefer darkness rather than Light.  Forgive me for the times when I think “I can handle this by myself”.  Thank you for the moments in the Light when I see that I need You and your word to feed me and lead me.  Amen

Judy Yeck

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. NKJV

I have used this scripture many times when faced with difficulties, physically, mentally or spiritually.

The one that stands out the most happened back in the 1970’s. The church purchased an old bus to transport everything from youth groups and bell choirs to adults. This was when they changed the law concerning CDL’s (commercial driver’s licenses) and John already had his from work, and drove the bus regularly.

I decided that I should learn to drive it too, and had chosen to changed my license to include CDL. John thought it was a good idea because they always needed drivers. We had taken the youth to Camp Crestfield, and on the way back, John says, “Well get behind the wheel”, and he got out of the driver’s seat with the bus rolling. I got my first lesson on I-79! I drove many more trips, even into Pittsburgh’s Mt. Oliver district. This scripture helped me out every time.

Prayer:  Thank you Lord, You are always ready to help us in time of need. Forgive us when we try to do anything without asking Your help. Amen

Dan Peters

QUIET PREPARATION

“To worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God, to purge the imagination by the beauty of God, to open the heart to the love of God, to devote the will to the purpose of God.”     - William Temple – Archbishop of Canterbury

Our corporate worship should be all these things and, perhaps, more.  We might consider also the hand of fellowship, the warm friendship of Christian brothers and sisters around us, the “sharing and caring.” First, however, comes the turning of our consciences, our minds, our imaginations, our hearts, and our wills, individually, to God. This is best done in an atmosphere of quiet contemplation unhindered by our daily concerns or the concerns of those next to us.  After personal preparation (accompanied perhaps by a soft musical prelude) we may then be prepared to “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord” and to share the joy of God’s blessings.

Prayer -Lord God, teach us the process of quiet contemplation so that we may be better prepared to worship you.

Judy Lentz  

I Love to Tell the Story

Psalm 66:16 “Come and listen, all who honor God, and I will tell you what he has done for me”

Our 10 year old granddaughter came to spend a week with us to enjoy Camp Oma and Pop as she does each summer. Although Madison loves to do things and go places, she hates long car rides. When it was time to drive her across state to meet her uncle, I did my best to divert her thinking about how long the drive would be. I spent the time telling her stories about her Dad when he was a baby, a toddler, a preschooler, and an elementary school student just as she is now.

The stories lasted most of the ride – her Dad created plenty of stories to tell!!!! She loved hearing about the funny things he did, the trouble he got into, the punishments he received, the stories of his school friends and school teachers, the things he disliked in those years, etc. Stories that revealed the love expressed for him and by him as he was growing up. Just as adults appreciate hearing stories, so do our children.

I remember singing the song “I love to Tell the Story” when I was growing up. The tune was composed by W.G.Fischer and the lyrics written by Dr. Doane with the refrain that goes like this: “I love to tell the story, ‘twill be my theme in glory, To tell the old, old story of Jesus and His love”.

God wants us to tell stories of all kinds – about Jesus, about people in the Bible, about ourselves and about our friends and loved ones. We learn from these stories about the Bible and how God wants us to love (just think of how many times stories are read to the children during Children’s Time). Stories help us pass along traditions, offer guidance in problem solving, rekindle the memories of those who have gone before as well as the friends who are special to us now. But best of all, stories tell us about ‘love’ and how we show love just as God wants us to do. Stories enrich our lives in so many ways. Are you a story teller?

Prayer: Dear God – we love to tell the stories of Jesus and His love. We love to tell the stories about those we love. Help us to tell the stories that lead others to you so they can feel your love just as we do. Amen 

Mark Mizer 

Cathedrals

Being Presbyterian does not mean I don't have a grand appreciation for Christian Architecture, especially the architecture of the grand cathedrals found in Europe.

When she was a sophomore at Allegheny College, our daughter, Sarah had the opportunity to spend a semester in Cologne, Germany. I was vaguely aware of a 'big church' there, but, it wasn't until Ann and I went to Cologne to see Sarah that I found a grand cathedral whose enormity, engineering and history overwhelmed me. Called the 'High Cathedral of Saint Peter' or 'der Kolner Dom', construction was started in 1248. Essentially, it is still being constructed and restored. It's spires are higher than the total length of the structure, reaching almost two footballs fields laid end to end into the sky.  For me, it is an incredibly awe inspiring edifice. I see God in it's Gothic construction.  Cologne was almost totally obliterated during World War II. But, der Dom, although hit fourteen times  by bombs was left mostly intact. Being the highest structure in all of Europe at that time, U.S. and  British bombers used it as a navigational aid to find their targets.

For me, der Kolner Dom serves as a powerful testimony to the strength and persistence of our Christian belief.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, open our eyes to all the grandeur of Your creations, even the ones done by the hands of men and women. Amen.

Ann Mizer  

Wilderness

A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.  Every valley shall be raised up every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.  And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”    Isaiah 40:3-5 (NIV)

I was reading an article about a book written by Anne Graham Lotz entitled “Wounded by God’s People”.  It made me ponder what we all do to others, even though we claim ourselves to be Christians.  The article went on to talk about being in the wilderness.   There were words like “dry, barren, lonely “ used to describe the wilderness.  There are physical places, but there are also emotional and spiritual places that can be wilderness.  You can be in the wilderness alone or with other people.

The verses I chose to depict this thought are familiar if you listen to Handel’s “Messiah”.  I think these verses are beautiful and they ask us to prepare, but also tell us God will be revealed and people will see together.  I believe that God is with us, even if we are in the wilderness.  He is there to cling to, He is there to guide us and support us.  We all have wilderness in our lives.  Sometimes they are in our Church or with family members.  A key thought though is to reach out and hold on to God.

Dear Lord, may your Glory be revealed to us and may we trust in you, wherever we may be.  Amen