Daily Lectionary Readings for Year A
Today is the Day of Ascension when Jesus ascends into heaven, forty days after Easter. We will be focusing on the Ascension this Sunday in worship. Take some time to read through Acts 1:1-11, Psalm 47, Psalm 93, Ephesians 1:15-23, and Luke 24:44-53.
Call someone and together share your thoughts about the Ascension. Peace, Dean
0 Comments
Daily Lectionary Readings for Year A
As you know, we will continue to be cautious regarding the coronavirus. We are in no rush, especially if skipping steps and roaring back means putting people we love in harm's way. It will take extended time before we can meet at Wesley Park. Please read the Principles and Directions for Reopening UMC Facilities in Michigan at www.wesleypark.org. Of course, we look forward to the time we will be able to see one another again. We dream of the day we can be in worship in the sanctuary in some safe way, together. There are protocols to follow and directives that will guide our decisions about when and how we can worship at Wesley Park. Everything about our congregational connections will be examined. These considerations include cleaning, mouth coverings, clear and concise procedures for all to follow, social distancing, avoiding contact, etc. We have begun the process of putting together a policy-making task force to provide direction. We are calling this group the Joshua Task Force. Joshua was the one who carried on the journey from Moses. Joshua's faithfulness, wisdom, patience, and leadership helped God's people proceed to the promised land. Please pray for these people of Wesley Park who are considering the privilege of preparing us for the phases to come. They will need our prayers, participation, and support for the journey to the place we all hope to be someday - worshiping God together at Wesley Park. Moses understood how difficult the forty-year journey through the wilderness was. Moses wanted the following generations to remember God's hand guiding God's people. Moses called on the people to recall God's remarkable work every seven years. We, too, should remember regularly all that we have gone through during this coronavirus crisis. We should pledge to provide a witness for those who perhaps cannot recall the sacrifices made on behalf of one another. This is a story of love and care of our neighbor and trust in the providence of God's grace. Stay safe. Stay prayerful. Stay loving. Peace, Dean Daily Lectionary Readings for Year A
Every day Will and I take time to remember. What day is it today? What day was yesterday? What day will be tomorrow? We remember the month and the date. We look outside and remember all the different kinds of weather possibilities and name what we see. We remember our feelings - we know there are times we have been sad, or angry, or silly, or happy - and we think about how we feel each morning. In these monotonous days sometimes it helps to keep track of where we are and who we are. Do you have things that help you to remember? The lectionary text from 1 Peter today immediately brought me to remember Felicia Swanson. Do you remember when Kathy interviewed her daughter-in-law Felicia on Mother's Day? Their love and respect for one another and celebration of faith will be something I will never forget. Felicia shared that God helps her remember who she is and how to be the best parent she can be. She helps her children remember God each day, in every lesson as they learn how to treat others. Do not repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse; but, on the contrary, repay with a blessing. Do you remember? What can you do today to remember God as you live life and love your neighbor? Peace, Dean Daily Lectionary Readings for Year A Psalm 93 Have you ever watched the waves of Lake Michigan crash into the pier? The Psalm feels like that. Someone watching the incredible power of the sea and wind and writing a song about God's might. Keep this in mind these first three days of the week. Pay attention to the ways the wind and the rain display their strength and power. Are you ready to write a song about it? Genesis 9:8-17 During our Zoom Coffee Hour after worship yesterday, we talked about rainbows. Bear Vasquez was on our mind. The Rainbow Guy brought us to tears as he rejoiced at the sight of a double rainbow in the Yosemite National Forest. We also remembered rainbows ushering in new beginnings and standing as a sign of hope. We talked about Kermit, Jim Hensen, and The Rainbow Connection. And, Sara Kropp shared a poem that gave her comfort in the days surrounding the passing of her father. As Sara researched where the poem came from, she found that it was actually the words of a song written by Vicki Brown, a songwriter, and vocalist from the UK who wrote it a year before she died from breast cancer. Thank you, Sara, for sharing. Time for me to go now, I won't say goodbye; Look for me in rainbows, way up in the sky. In the morning sunrise when all the world is new, Just look for me and love me, as you know I loved you. Time for me to leave you, I won't say goodbye; Look for me in rainbows, high up in the sky. In the evening sunset, when all the world is through Just look for me and love me, and I'll be close to you. It won't be forever, the day will come and then My loving arms will hold you, when we meet again. Time for us to part now, we won't say goodbye; Look for me in rainbows, shining in the sky. Every waking moment, and all your whole life through Just look for me and love me, as you know I loved you. Just wish me to be near you And I'll be there with you. Peace, Dean Daily Lectionary Reading for Year A
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/daily.php?year=A As of this morning, the numbers of people who have become sick or died due to the coronavirus are staggering. In just two months this pandemic has unleashed a wave of suffering and death. United States Confirmed Cases of Covid-19 As Of May 15, 2020: 1,450,000 cases 235,000 recovered 86,571 deaths Worldwide Confirmed Cases of Covid-19 As Of May 15, 2020: 4,440,000 cases 1,590,000 recovered 302,000 deaths To put the US death total into perspective, that is equivalent to the entire population of the City of Wyoming dying over the course of eight weeks, plus 10,751 additional people. It is no wonder that people throughout our faith history have tried to make sense out of times of great loss and strife. The Genesis text considers the massive loss of life from a flood. The hope they discover is in God’s desire to save humans and all animal species. As we look back and tell the story of God With Us during these days of struggle, I hope we will find God in the compassion shown to one another. We are living in a time that requires us to love our neighbor as ourselves. God is present now just as God has always been present. Watch for the ways God is revealed through the care one shows for another. Be safe. Stay home. Love one another. Peace, Dean Daily Lectionary Readings for Year A
Atmosphere affects the way we experience scripture. It is dark this morning. The rain is coming down. There are rumblings of thunder in the air. To read of Noah building a boat as it starts to sprinkle, or of Paul being tossed to and fro on a ship in a storm, I feel connected to the lectionary. And I ponder the storms in my life. I think about what we are experiencing that make us feel as though our lives are in peril. How do you respond when life doesn't feel safe? Where do you feel God’s presence in the midst of a storm? When you have little or no control over what may happen next and are subject to the powerful forces of nature, a virus or a flood, where do you find your bearings? May God speak to you as you read in the rain. Peace, Dean Daily Lectionary Readings for Year A
Stephen was the first martyr of the early Christians. He told of the wonders of God's work through time and the ways that Jesus manifested that love in his life, death, and resurrection. In spite of that witness, Stephen was killed by stoning with the coats of those who cast the stones placed at the feet of Saul, who would later become Paul after a blinding conversion. Who knows what will happen to us in our lifetime? We may have no challenges whatsoever. We may suffer. Let us live in faith so that no matter what happens we will know that we were true to God's love. Our church places inspirational photos and quotes on our Facebook page in the hopes that it will lift the spirits of those who see them. Can you find one that reminds you of God's love and share it with someone this week? Here is one from the Michigan Conference. Peace, Dean Daily Lectionary Readings for Year A
Proverbs can feel like talking to that person who has your best interests at heart. That person loves you and listens to you to try to understand your situation. And then, they do their best to give you advice about what to do about it.
Perhaps this Proverb today will speak to your fears, confusion, and temptations. Are you ready to let God give you some good advice and help you through all you are experiencing today? Peace, Dean Daily Lectionary Readings for Year A
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/daily.php?year=A Psalm 102:1-17 We will sit with this Psalm for three days. For these three days pay attention to your senses. What are you seeing? What are you smelling? What are you tasting? What are you hearing? What are you feeling? Write down and lift up in prayer these ways that you process your surroundings and situations. Exodus 13:17-22 God considers the consequences of the escape route for the Israelites. God could lead them the shorter way, but it would be more difficult and would probably result in people wanting to turn back to Egypt again. Instead, God chooses to lead the people the long way, through the Red Sea. One of my favorite images in scripture is God leading the people to freedom. God went before them as a pillar of cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people. What kind of assurance would you find if God was leading you through a difficult journey? How is God out in front of you now, by day and by night? Acts 7:17-40 The lectionary continues with Stephen's testimony of God's activity through time. Stephen recites the story of Moses leading God's people. This account also reflects on some who were on the journey but would not follow. Stephen says that in their hearts they turned back to Egypt. That phrase keeps rolling through my mind as I watch people disregard the dangers of COVID-19 and rush into stores, restaurants, and gathering places with no masks or sense of social distancing. There seems to be an effort to make a statement opposing the direction of this journey we are on together. Perhaps their hearts have turned back to Egypt, desiring the known and what used to be rather than the unknown and uncertainty of a difficult journey ahead. How do you act when you get scared? What can we learn from God's work throughout time and what it takes for a group of people to work together for a higher purpose? Peace, Dean |
REv. Dean N. PrentissI am blessed to be the Pastor at Wesley Park UMC. Find Daily Lectionary Readings Here. Archives
February 2021
Categories |