Midweek Newsletter: Wednesday, January 24, 2024.
NARTHEX
NEWS
WEEKLY
EDITION
January
24, 2024
FROM
THE NEWS DESK
OF
FIRST
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
LEBANON,
INDIANA
128
E. Main St. ~ Lebanon, IN 46052~ (765)482-5959
https://www.lebanonfpc.org
~ office@lebanonfpc.org
In the midweek newsletter this week:
~ Reminders
~ Celebrations
~ Gourmet Seekers
~ PPM Update
~ Weekly Devotional
~ Prayer Room
Live & Learn: Live
& Learn will resume Saturday the 27th, meeting at 11:30 in the
church library, lunch included.
Caring Sunday is this Sunday. The following is a list of items currently in need:
·
Apple juice
PPM has been in session for 100 days! We celebrated
Monday with activities in some of the classrooms and even had kids
dress up for the celebration. When asking a 4 year old if she was 100 days
smarter her reply so seriously was this: “It is too hard to be
smart!" I loved the innocence and truthfulness of her answer.
Upstairs the kids were asked what they would want 100 of and what they wouldn't want 100 of. The responses for what I would like to have are anything from candy, pizza, toys; what they don't want are spiders, tornadoes, broccoli and loads of laundry (a teacher!) What would you want 100 of ? Not want? For me I would want 100 hugs a day from the people I love, and I would not want 100 spiders (who would right?)
As we monitor the weather daily till winter is
over, and debate if we need a heavy coat or a light jacket. Stay safe and
warm! Winter in Indiana is a fun experience.
Blessings, Miss Lori Rowe.
Weekly Devotional: Weep with those who weep.
Once upon
a very real time, there was a group of friends who experienced a tragedy. There
was a death in their group. This person was much beloved, and there was great grief
at this person’s passing. One of the group saw more than the others could see
and knew more than the others could understand. This one had wisdom that went
beyond time and space and vision beyond finite minds. Yet still, this One,
Jesus, wept.
The friend
who died was Lazarus. If you are familiar with this story (in John chapter 11),
then you may recall that the text says: “Jesus wept.” (John 11:35) You may also
recall that shortly after Jesus wept, He would raise Lazarus from the grave.
But at the moment He cried, no one else knew what was going to come to pass. Scripture
says, “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” (Psalms
30:5). Those around Jesus did not know that “morning” was just moments away.
Jesus was fully God and fully man. When he stood shortly thereafter at the tomb
of his friend, called Lazarus by name and told him to come out, Jesus knew what
would happen, just as surely as He knew when He wept. Three days prior when
Jesus was asked to come, He waited to come to his friends’ aid precisely so He
could raise Lazarus from the grave. Jesus knew ahead of time the joyous outcome
there would be. Still, Jesus wept. There may have been more than one reason for
Jesus to shed tears that day. For our purposes here, it is enough to
acknowledge that Jesus identified so closely with the grief around Him that He
was moved to tears.
The
Apostle Paul taught that a defining behavior of a believer, in addition to
being diligent, rejoicing in hope, being patient in tribulation, continuing
steadfastly in prayer, and being generous to those in need, is that of
genuinely connecting with those around them, being sincere in concern for and
support of others. Paul described it in this way: “Rejoice with those who
rejoice, and weep with those who weep.”
Admittedly,
some people cry more easily than others or laugh more easily than others. When
it comes to tears, some people (fingers pointed at myself!) can go through a
whole box of tissues in one tender scene in a movie, book (or commercial!).
Other people only need the tissues when they have a cold. Some people have
laughter waiting right at the surface and easily share it with others. Some
people smile readily but a full-blown laugh only comes once in a while. God
made us each differently, as distinct as shades in the rainbow and as unique as
snowflakes. Connecting with others doesn’t have to look the same for each
individual. But the words of Paul and the witness of Jesus Christ testify to
the importance of a heartfelt connection. Jesus stood in the midst of a broken
and hurting people in the midst of a broken and hurting world. What else could
He do but weep?
Indeed,
what else could He do? He could shine a light in their darkness. He could give
birth to hope like no one else before or since. The gift of hope that Jesus was
prepared to give was a gift which He alone was equipped to share. When Jesus spoke
the words, “Lazarus, come forth!”, more than just his friend Lazarus came forth;
hope and promise came forth as well. (John 11:43-44) When Lazarus exited the
tomb, still wrapped in graveclothes, and Jesus declared, “Loose him, and let
him go”, Jesus loosed upon the world a preview that proclaimed: “More is yet to
come.”
More is
yet to come for us as well. Does that more include weeping as well as
rejoicing? Most likely, yes. Will there be a morning when the sun breaks
through the clouds and heralds the ending of our night, our sorrow? Will He
loose us from the grief that binds us? Yes. Until then? We can rejoice
together, and we can weep together. We can identify with the pain in this world
as readily as we identify with the beauty in this world. For example, when a
friend is overcome with tears, perhaps we don’t need to know why. Perhaps
folding them in a gentle embrace is enough. When their weeping is past, they
will know we will be there to embrace joy with them as well.
Prayer Room:
Prayer is important to the body of First
Presbyterian Church. Are you interested
in joining the prayer chain?
Would you like to learn more about the role of prayer in our lives? Please
contact Phyllis Duff, Prayer Coordinator, at (765)482-1485/ raduff2@att.net.
Heavenly
Father, Sometimes we know a grief which goes beyond words, a pain that is
beyond understanding. There are times in our broken and hurting world when
grief overshadows all. Trauma and tragedy often take center stage. We can
question, does joy wait in the wings? Is it just beyond the curtain, just
off-stage? We cannot know what is yet to be. But we can rest in Your shelter.
We can lean on Your hand. We can trust You to lift us with Your wings. Our
wings cannot fly when wet, but Yours never falter. We have little room left to
hold hope when our hands are full of hurt. But Your embrace encompasses the
whole world.
“Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth
By Your great power and outstretched arm.
There is nothing too hard for You.” (Jer. 32:17)
You catch
our tears in a bottle. Catch these tears which we cry today. Especially when the pain is beyond our
comprehension, we seek the comfort and peace only You can provide. Hear the
words our bleeding hearts cannot yet utter. In Jesus’ powerful name we pray,
Amen.
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