LENTEN DEVOTION FOR SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16

Out of the ground the Lord God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight. (Genesis 2:8)

But those who look into the perfect law...doers who actthey will be blessed in their doing. (James 1:25)

A stranger knocked on the back door about fifty years ago. Introducing himself, he asked if he could use our hose and our water to irrigate a tree which he had planted in the FPC nursery school yard next to our house. "It won't take much water," said he, "but I will come over twice a day and water it until I am sure the tree has a good start."

And so it happened. That young spindly maple is now about fifty feet high, housing birds, squirrels and other wildlife. It also sheds large piles of bright yellow leaves on our driveway every autumn.

It is a beautiful tree, a tribute to the man who told me many times how much trees meant to him, how much they reminded him of his boyhood in Sweden.

We call it the Seaholm Maple, and I thank him whenever I look at the tree.

God of all goodness, grant us to desire ardently, to seek wisely, to know surely, and to accomplish perfectly your holy will, for the glory of your name. (St. Thomas Aquinas)

Carol Held

Note: Seaholm Maple refers to Ernest W. Seaholm High School in Birmingham, known as the "Maples." Mr. Seaholm was an active member of First Presbyterian Church serving as an Elder and as Chairman of the Building Committee for our West Maple building.

LENTEN DEVOTION FOR FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15

My Heart Is Changed Within Me (Hosea 11:1-11)

The author of Hosea was writing near the end of the 8th century BCE when the Assyrians were about to overrun the northern kingdom of Israel. There are things that don't seem to have changed much. At any rate the poetry is exquisite.

Over and over God responds to sin with grace. Not only with grace but with the love of a parent:

"It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, I who had taken them in my arms." (11:3)

"..led them with the bonds of love - that I lifted them like a little child to my cheek and that I had bent down to feed them." (11:4)

But like a parent, disappointment has to be tempered by forgiveness:

"My heart is changed within me, my remorse kindles already. I will not let loose my fury. I will not turn round and destroy Ephraim. I am God not a man..." (11:8)

How much things are the same. We still make mistakes. God still forgives us. And God still changes our hearts. The trouble may be that we are slow to realize our hearts have been changed. The leading players in the drama of the first testament sometimes had more direct messages than we are accustomed to experiencing. Since we have been blessed by more lessons from history and scripture, as well as more distractions, maybe we need to listen harder.

Father God, be with us as we listen for your voice. Amen.

Ross Stuntz

LENTEN DEVOTION FOR THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14

If ever anyone were appropriately named it was my sister Grace. She was seven when I was born and I was immediately "her baby". I was never without her love. As the years progressed we became even closer. We were each other's maid-of-honor and God parents to each other's children. In 2004 Grace and her husband came to visit. Grace had such a severe headache that we rushed her to Beaumont hospital where she stayed for 29 days, thirteen of them in intensive care. She was in acute kidney failure. Let me tell you a few of the things that made my sister so special. She lived in the little town of Brevard, North Carolina where she was a founding member of Sharing House an organization that combined ALL the local churches with the mission to help families and "folks" in crisis. She sang in her church choir and never felt that she was good enough. She was an artist. Her oil paintings brought joy to so many. As the disease progressed Grace had to leave her choir. Then her hands started shaki
ng so much that she laid her brushes down. And when the dialysis began to take so much of her time she had to say goodbye to her friends at Sharing House. Throughout all this there was never a complaint. She might have felt sad but she would say that this was part of God's plan and He knew what was best for her. When she knew that the end was near she asked me to come and be with her. We had shared so much and now we would share this. I asked her if she was afraid. She smiled and said that she was only curious as to who would come to take her home. She was so at peace, no fear, no worry just curiosity. She died two days later. She had such love and trust and faith in God. She was a gift from God to all who knew her. I loved her so much. I hope that God lets her come for me when it is my time to go "home". This my sister firmly believed; "Be not dismayed what e'er betide. God will take care of you. Beneath his wings of love abide. God will take care of you."

God grant that I may have as strong a faith to accept with love whatever you choose for me with grace and courage. Amen.

Joyce Uzelac

LENTEN DEVOTION FOR WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13

Jonah was furious. He lost his temper. He yelled at God, "God, I knew it -- when I was back home, I knew this was going to happen! That's why I ran off to Tarshish! I knew you were sheer grace and mercy, not easily angered, rich in love, and ready at the drop of a hat to turn your plans of punishment into a program of forgiveness." (Jonah 4:1-2 from The Message)

When God called Jonah to go to Nineveh, Jonah had refused to accept the mission.

Perhaps Jonah ran the other way because he thought he was not equal to the task. Maybe he did not believe that God's help would be there at every turn. He did not imagine that the sailors would do all they could to avoid throwing him overboard; that the great fish would shelter him from the fearful depths, finally returning him to dry land for another chance. (God's answer to his prayer of thanksgiving for God's gift of the relative safety of the fish's belly, and Jonah's promise, at last, to go to Nineveh).

Nor had Jonah foreseen that the King of Nineveh would "see the light" and lead the people (and animals) to repent. Jonah did not want to believe that God would change God's mind and save Nineveh. He was angry that God's steadfast love was not reserved for the faithful, but extended to all, even those judged to be wicked. This is a hard lesson to learn, but the story of Jonah teaches that God is bigger than we can imagine. It is not for us to decide who is "in" and who is "out." Thanks be to God.

Thank you, God, for your steadfast love and tender mercy. Thanks for those who manifest your love and care in many ways, large and small. Help us to show mercy and forgiveness, even when it is very hard. Amen.

Ginnie Spurr

LENTEN DEVOTION FOR TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12

I Believe To help Peter Pan save Tinker Bell from Captain Hook's act of poisoning Pan's medicine, Peter asked from all who believed in Fairies to shout out loud, "I believe, I believe," and so they did. I know I don't have magical Tinker Bell dust on my wings, and I can't fly, but I believe. As one looks in a mirror, there are characteristics only visible to you that others may or may not see. What's most important to me is who's staring back. If my eyes are open wide with wonder and a smile is spread from one cheek to the other, I know my day of discovery is just beginning. I've learned so much already on life's journey. I've uncovered many delights along the way. Let me share a few with you. I believe in rainbows and pots of gold. I believe that a hot fudge sundae is better with nuts on top. I believe the sandman makes me sleepy and the rooster announces that morning is here. I believe people can make mistakes and I will be amongst those to forgive. I believe bald eagles are only
seen in dead trees while Canadian geese prefer Michigan's winter weather to the Florida's Everglades. I believe the Cow jumped over the Moon. I believe in a spiritual Being that watches over me. I believe that Tinker Bell saved Peter Pan and all the boys of Neverland. I believe the clouds are like floating animals in magical herds above. I believe the blind man can see me with the touch from a warm hand. I believe a dog is man's best friend and us women too. I believe a positive push is more productive than a negative shove. I believe a God hears my prayers. I believe throwing spilled salt over my shoulder for good luck and picking up all fallen pennies on the road to earn the interest due. I believe warts can disappear when a raw potato is wiped thereabouts and thrown backwards over my head as far as I can. I believe a dog's hearing is the best...they are always at the door waiting for my arrival. I believe in warm chocolate chip cookies with walnuts served right from the oven. I b
elieve in broccoli, spinach and carrots. I believe in oatmeal with raisins and brown sugar too. I believe in dreams and tomorrows. I never want to grow up. But I will -- older with wide open eyes and a smile from cheek to cheek. I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. (The Apostles' Creed)

Carla Lamphere

LENTEN DEVOTION FOR MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11

Jesus answered him, "Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them." (John 14:23)

We do not need to go and find God and Jesus; they will come to us and make their home with us. What a wonderful and reassuring message.

What will lead them to do this? Will they decide by:
How big our home is,
How clean it is,
Our furniture, art, decorations in our home,
How neat our yard is,
What electronic games, computers and toys we have,
How certain we are of our faith?

No, none of these will lead God and Jesus to choose to make their home with us.

The Father and Son will make their home with us if we love Jesus. And we demonstrate this love by keeping Jesus' Word.

How do we demonstrate the keeping of Jesus' Word? "They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me." (John 14:21)

And what are Jesus' commandments? "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. ... You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 22:37 & 39)

So if you want Jesus and God to make their home with you, you need to love the Lord and love your neighbor.

As the angels proclaimed at Jesus' birth, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace, goodwill among people." (Luke2:14)

Dear God, Let us show our love for Jesus by loving You and loving our neighbor. We pray that You will make Your home with us as we praise You and serve each other. In Jesus name, Amen.

Dave Zimmer

LENTEN DEVOTION FOR SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10

Be still and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10)

What are you doing for Lent? During this period of the liturgical year we are invited to act in ways that deepen our faith and relationship with God. Prayer, fasting, sacrificial giving, and acts of mercy are some practices that come to mind.

Prayer is meant to be a conversation with God and the acronym ACTS is an easy reminder to recall various elements of prayer: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. All of these require action on our part, in other words, talking to God. But what about listening? How many times have we been in a conversation with someone and at some point realized that we were not really listening? Are our conversations with God so filled with talking in our head that we rarely hear or notice God speaking to us?

In the book My Grandfather's Blessings, author Rachel Naomi Remen recalls a woman who related an experience where, while doing housework, not thinking about anything much in particular, she had witnessed a connection between various random events in her lifetime coming together taking a direction that she had never noticed before. At the same time the woman felt deeply that what was true of her life was also true of life in general. Standing at her kitchen sink, she felt "a steady unseen force, like a wind" and "knew that, despite external appearances, life could be trusted, and she began to weep with joy."

Remen states that sometimes we can just know things that we can never understand, and I believe that to be true. The Psalmist reminds us that God is our refuge, ever present and waiting for us to listen. Are you listening? Be still and know.

God, we give thanks for your spirit voice that speaks to us at unexpected times. Open our hearts for discernment, and calm our minds so that we may have ears to hear. Amen.

Sheila Roebke