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

 

 

Reminders:

Live & Learn: Live & Learn will resume Saturday the 27^th, 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 

·         tomato juice

·         mandarin oranges

·         crackers

·         mixed fruit cocktail

·         canned chicken

·         spam

·         canned pasta

Celebrations: Happy celebrations to a really great crew. We love each one of you. We hope your year is exciting and new, and that you remember God loves you!

Happy Birthday to: Oliver Hutcheson, 1/24; Steve MacPherson, 1/28.

Gourmet Seekers: Meet at the church at 11:30. Reservation at Klooz Brewz for 11:45. Hope you can join us.  

PPM Update: We have had quite the winter so far! Our classes have enjoyed playing in the snow, and having fun with many winter art and science activities. 

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.