SATURDAY, MARCH 9

And the Word Became Flesh – John 1:14-18

And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. (John testified to him and cried out, ‘This was he of whom I said, “He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.” ’) From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known. 

FRIDAY, MARCH 8

It Shall Come To Pass – Isaiah 6:1-13; Isaiah 63:1-3

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple. Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. And one called to another and said:
‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory.’ 

…

Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: ‘Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.’ Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I; send me!’ 

THURSDAY, MARCH 7

Restore Unto Me The Joy of Thy Salvation – Psalm 51:10-14

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. 

Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. 

Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit. 

Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. 

Deliver me from bloodshed, O God, O God of my salvation, 

and my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance. 

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6

As Moses Lifted Up the Serpent – Numbers 21:4-9

From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; but the people became impatient on the way. The people spoke against God and against Moses, ‘Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food.’ Then the Lord sent poisonous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, ‘We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord to take away the serpents from us.’ So Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live.’ So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live.

TUESDAY, MARCH 5

We also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. (Romans 5:3-5)

When I was a competitive swimmer, and now as I watch my grandson, Alexander, begin his competitive swimming journey, there is practice, more practice, and more practice. There is constant learning and refinement of strokes. Then in the races, we have losses and sometimes victories. Through it all, we persevere and then see improvement, and eventually, we realize that we have changed and grown to be better swimmers and better people through the hard work with our teammates and with the guidance of our coaches who really cared about helping us succeed.

I then look at my life and remember the days of running free and health challenges, the business successes and failures, wonderful times with Donna and some disagreements, the joy of my children and days of worry, my faith journey with unanswered questions and then knowing where I am going. Throughout my life, I have persevered under the guidance and grace of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and now have “hope of sharing the glory of God.” (Romans 5:2)

As we approach Easter, we know that our sufferings, trials, and even our sins do not separate us from God's love and that as we persevere, we are “reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life.” (Romans 5:10)

Dear God, give us the peace through our Lord Jesus Christ that the Holy Spirit that has been given to us will lead us through our sufferings and successes and strengthen us to persevere and give us hope until we share in the glory of God. Amen.

Dave Zimmer

MONDAY, MARCH 4

Do to others as you would have them do to you.

(Luke 6:31)

Take My Hand

Each time I come into the parking lot here at our church, I see the sign of children holding hands at the Christian Education entrance and I remember our church’s gift to the community at Christmas Hand*In*Hand. Mike and I loved and worked at the endeavor which brought many people to our doors.

My mind wanders to the Sistine Chapel at St. Peter’s in Rome. The ceiling takes hours to envision, but it begins with God extending his hand to Adam. During our church services, we bless our fellow Christians with the words “May the Peace of Christ be with you” and an extended hand.

Taking a person’s hand can mean many things. “I’m with you.” “Let me help you.” “You are not alone.” “I care.”

It gives you strength, trust, courage, confidence, and an offer of friendship.

Jesus taught his followers to care for one another. “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” (Matthew 25:40)

Offering your hand is a powerful act. Let us remember the needs of others as we take theirs, letting in warmth, love, comradery, and service.

Taking my hand is magic to my soul. Amen.

Betty Rosenberger

SUNDAY, MARCH 3

She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. (Luke 10:39)

Moments With God

As the story is told, while her sister Mary sat and listened to Jesus, Martha let herself feel overwhelmed with the work that was left undone. Jesus said to her, “Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”

My mother named me Colleen, but I think she surely should have called me Martha! I have responsibilities to my family, friends, employer, coworkers, and church that require my constant attention. However the Bible story of Martha reminds me that there are times when it is necessary to put tasks aside and spend quiet moments with God.

Often when I pray, it is in supplication asking God to open a door; however, I forget that the door opens both ways. I need to be the one who lets God in.

Recently I read “Some Unspoken Thoughts of F. Morgan Roberts” dated January 17, 2001:

“There is a deeper Life and Presence seeking to be known and loved at the depth of our being. When we welcome that other Life within our life and allow it to take over our life, we become our most authentic selves and discover that uniquely lovely and haunting melody that can be sung only through our life. Let us be in conversation with that Someone within us. Let us say to that Presence on every day of our lives, “I shall try to make You at home.”

I would like to invite all of you to attend the retreat “Doors of Grace: Opening Our Hearts to God’s Presence” at First Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, Michigan on Saturday March 9, 2013 The retreat is sponsored by Presbyterian Women in the Presbytery of Detroit, and all are welcome! Please come and join us!

Loving God, as I step away from the busyness of life and listen to your Presence, my soul is nourished. Help me to make You at home in my heart. Amen.

Colleen Fisher