Day 22: Wed., March 11
Cleaning for Spiritual Growth
John 16:33 “I’ve said these things to you so that you will have peace in me. In the world you have distress. But be encouraged! I have conquered the world.”
I hate cleaning and organizing closets. Just drives me crazy. After making myself do it, I feel energized and ready to tackle more things. Lent to me is like cleaning a closet. It is a time to have honest and authentic reflections of my beliefs and my faults. Taking the time to reflect on God’s love and finding the peace that God gives us by cleaning our thoughts. By cleaning out my cluttered, disorganized beliefs and letting go of negative thoughts it allows me to open my heart to make room for the teachings of Jesus.
Lord, we pray that you will help us to cleanse our negative thoughts so that we might find peace in our lives. Growing in your love to live as you have taught us in a loving manner. In your name we pray. Amen.
Vera Confer, Murphy NC
Bake or purchase bread and share it with someone.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Day 23: Thurs., March 12
Reflection and Hope
John 14:27 NIV “Peace, I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world does. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
As some of you know, I did not grow up in the Methodist tradition. I come from a long line of Baptists. When we sing a song that is in both the Methodist and Baptist hymnals, I know all the words. However, some of the Methodist tradition, such as observing Lent, were less familiar. I knew it lasted for forty days and that those observing Lent gave up something. Through experience, I learned that Lent is so much more.
Lent offers a time of reflection and hope. It is a time to look back with gratitude remembering God’s faithfulness. It is an opportunity to look back and remember that no matter the time or circumstances God has proved His faithfulness over and over. He supplies every need always in the right way. We can remember everything that we have seen, heard, and learned from God. He never fails us.
During Lent, as we look forward to Easter, we can see the future with hope and confidence. As followers of Jesus, we know the victory of His resurrection every day, not just that one special Sunday each spring. Lent gives us time to recognize that hope and reaffirm our assurance of His gifts. Therefore, we can face the future with peace in our hearts. He is already there. There is absolutely no reason to be troubled, dismayed, or afraid. God is in the future as He was in the past.
Father, thank you that we can look back in gratitude and forward in hope. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
Janie Forrister – Murphy, NC
Treat yourself to a cup of coffee or cocoa today!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Day 24: Fri., March 13
Patience, Trust & Spiritual Growth
John 15:4-5 NIV “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
Lent is a season that encourages us to gently remove the noise and asks us to consider what we are truly connected to. I often move through life powered by schedules, expectations, and my own determination. This scripture reminds me of what is real and not what comes from striving, but from staying connected to Jesus. A branch does not strain to produce fruit; it simply remains attached to the vine. Thus I need to remain attached and connected and not strain to produce “stuff”.
When we stay close to Christ, fruit grows; patience, forgiveness, endurance, love. Lent is not about proving devotion, but deepening connection. And from that connection, new life begins.
Prayer: God of all good things, Let us pause, sit still and notice where we have been relying on ourselves more than on Jesus. Help us resist the urge to perform and instead choose to abide in You. Amen.
Kathryn Jenkins – Murphy, NC
You are fearfully and wonderfully made. You are whole and perfect just as you are.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Day 25: Sat., March 14
Forty Days on the Road with John – Remembering. Repenting and Renewing
The Gospel According to John 1:1-21:25
Someone I barely know has invited me on a forty-day trip and I said I would go. To say I am having second thoughts is the understatement of the year. I am getting really anxious–waking up in the night thinking about it, questioning everything, tossing and turning. My friend said it would change my life forever. What? At my age, do I really want to change my life? I am pretty content with “things’ the way they are! Well, most of the time. He also said this is the trip of a lifetime and he promised to introduce me to a special group of his friends where we will be spending a lot of our time just hanging out together.
In writing the fourth gospel, John has given us a firsthand account of Jesus as an adult, fulfilling his purpose. Please join me in reading the good news as given to us by John whom Jesus called his Beloved. It can change our lives!
Prayer: Come, Holy Spirit. Amen.
Esther Manchester – Brasstown, NC
Love. Love makes the world go round. Manifest kindness today.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Day 26: Sun., March 15
*a point of clarification
John 9:4 “We must work the works of him who sent me while it is still day…”
This is an amazing story where Jesus heals a man born blind and ignites community-wide debates around sin, the sabbath, and Jesus’ identity, not to mention the sly humor through it all. There’s enough in this story to chew on for a long time! But there’s also something really interesting going on in the text itself that happens in other places in John, too. In 9:4 the word “We” is also, in older manuscripts, replaced by “I.” And “me” is sometimes “we.” Hold on. Who is the subject of this story? Is it Jesus, “I”, who must work the works of the Father? Is it his disciples, “we”? Is it us? Is it all of the above?! Was this textual oddity a grammatical mistake where the scribe got confused with whether to use a singular or plural pronoun? Or was it a purposeful overlap and interlacing of identity? I like to think it’s the latter. Jesus might say this is what happens when we “abide” in him and he in us (John 15:1-17).
You might not get as excited by textual oddities as I do, but consider this: Jesus sends us to do the works he has been doing (John 20:21). And the “us” isn’t me or you, it’s all of us, together. Since coming to Murphy I’ve learned to marvel at how much we can get done when no one’s looking to get the credit, when there’s an overlap and interlacing of identity, and at the end of the day all the glory goes to God. Take a moment to rest, to delight in, and to give thanks for the Church and for this congregation, for your place in it.
Eye-opening God, thank you for giving us a place within Christ’s body, the Church. Animate us with your Spirit so we can do the good works you have given us to do. Amen.
Rev. Wil Posey – Murphy, NC
Tell someone that they are doing a good job and be specific with how.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Day 27: Mon., March 16
DO YOU BELIEVE THIS?
John 12:24 NIV “Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”
I love mysteries. Like, where do fireflies get their flickering light? How do starlings synchronize their dizzying flight? Sure, I know there are scientific explanations for these things, yet I still cherish them as beautiful mysteries.
I’ve been a gardener for a long time, and of all the vegetables I’ve loved, few are as surprising as common mustards. Jesus said in a parable that a mustard seed, the smallest of seeds, becomes the largest of garden plants – birds can perch in its branches! And just one plant can produce thousands of seeds, creating a vast meadow full of bright yellow flowers. But first – the seed must die. As it dies, and disintegrates, the seed is transformed into hairlike roots that press down into the soil and fragile stems that stretch up into the light.
So, it is with the most beautiful mystery of all: the transformation of a human. There is a ‘seed’ of divine life within each of us; and the human self is like the husk covering the life hidden inside the grain. This human self must die – our personal desires and sinful inclinations must disintegrate, the ‘husk’ discarded. Then new life begins, and transforms us, day by day, into the likeness of God! How wondrous! How mysterious!
John 11:25 (NIV)
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
Anne Silver- Murphy, NC
Try a new exercise today, and remember, you don’t have to be perfect!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Day 28: Tues., March 17
John 1:5 “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
Lent comes close on the heels of Christmas, but in stark contrast to it. After all of Christmas’s feasting and abundance and joy, Lent is something abruptly different – something somber, reflective, and more challenging. We usher in Lent by “remember[ing] that you are dust and to dust you shall return.” (Gen. 3:19). This season invites us to contemplate our own mortality, to abstain from those things that give us satisfaction and distraction, and to honestly acknowledge our own failings. Lent is not an easy undertaking.
It would be easier to just let Lent pass us by, to jump from the high of Christmas to the high of Easter without venturing into the heavy feelings Lent asks us to face. Why should we spend this season meditating on our own fleeting existence and the brokenness of the world? Why voluntarily participate in that kind of mental and emotional suffering?
If we stay on the mountaintops and jump from Christmas to Easter without descending into the darkness of Lent, we may avoid the pain of that darkness, but I wonder what else we might miss. Can we know light without knowing darkness? Can we appreciate the magnitude of the light of Easter without first understanding the darkness that Lent tries to show us – the loss and limitation of the human condition?
While Lent asks a lot of us, it offers us the same. If we are brave enough to accept its invitation, Lent offers us something deeper and more real than “easy” ever could. The darkness only increases our capacity to experience the Light. We can answer the invitation of Lent with courage knowing that while there will be darkness, it will not get the last word because “the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:5
Kendra Fokakis – Murphy, NC
Happy St. Patrick’s Day – be sure to wear Green!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Day 29: Wed., March 18
John 16:33 NIV “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
This passage reminds us that life will have trouble, but our peace comes from Jesus, not our circumstances.
Over 25 years ago, our church had an Easter weekend Prayer Vigil, and I volunteered for a late-night shift. That weekend, Noland and I took our three girls to Asheville to spend Easter with my sister and her two children. With five lively cousins running around playing and laughing, finding a quiet place for my study and reflection was impossible. So, I went to the car to be alone.
This was a time in my life when I had been feeling out of control and had let poor decisions and stress take over. I needed the peace that cannot be found in this world,
but comes to us when we say, “Jesus, Take the wheel.” My heart was heavy as Ireflected on the weight of suffering Jesus carried for us and I knew if I personally focused on Him, that I could navigate through my own struggles. I prayed for grace and peace to be a better Christian, wife, mother, and friend. And in that moment, the truth of “Take heart; I have overcome the world” became clear to me.
I’ve lived long enough now to know difficulty and tragedy is a part of life. How do we keep going sometimes?? By fixing our eyes on the one who told us trouble was coming but promised to see us through it. On this side of heaven, life is never going to be fully and completely all right or exactly as God intended it to be. There will be seasons when we are not okay and personally feel tested to the core. There will be global tragedies that leave us sad and confused. But, take heart- -because Jesus prepared us to deal with life by saying to us, “I have overcome the world.”
My prayer for you this Lenten season is that you will surrender your worries, seek comfort, and lean on divine strength.
Charlene Smith, Murphy, North Carolina
Take a quiet walk today.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Day 30: Thurs., March 19
Love is . . . . . (as described by Murphy First UMC children and Preschool children.)
Liking someone
It helps people be kind
Dinosaurs
Hugs
I love you
Giving a card to someone to say what you love about them
To love each other
Robots
Mama
Helping when someone is hurt
Being Kind
Giving a card
When you help people
Being a friend to some who is lonely
Show someone Love today.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Day 31: Fri., March 20
Walking in his Footsteps
John 12:26 “Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.”
Several years ago, I was privileged to be part of a mission trip with Murphy FUMC, although I did not attend here. Our team, consisting of a few doctors, nurses, dentists and several volunteer helpers, went with Baptist Medical Dental Missions International. We spent a week in Honduras in a tiny remote village where people, many elderly, would walk down from the surrounding mountains, some of them traveling most of the night to get to our makeshift “clinic”. I remember a lot of wound care, teeth extractions, eyeglasses (used) and reading glasses (new) distributed and general compassion shown by all of us. In true Baptist fashion, a tent revival was held every evening. Our week also consisted of a visit to an orphanage, where we interacted with children of all ages.
As our week neared the end, we gathered to share our takeaways in one sentence. I remember saying that I truly felt like I had walked in Jesus’ footsteps.
This is something I strive for every day – being committed to making this planet a better place by living intentionally, recognizing the light in every person I encounter and responding to them with peace and compassion. “Striving” doesn’t always come easy, but keeping my eye on the prize–walking in Jesus’ footsteps–is my goal.
Linda Ray – Murphy, NC
Celebrate the First Day of Spring – wear bright colors!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~