Worship for the week of October 2, 2022
Let us worship!
Don’t worry about the wicked
or envy those who do wrong.
For like grass, they soon fade away.
Like spring flowers, they soon wither.
Trust in God and do good.
Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
Take delight in God,
and God will give you your heart’s desires.
Commit everything you do to God.
Trust God, and God will help you.
God will make your innocence radiate like the dawn,
and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.
Be still in the presence of God,
and wait patiently for God to act.
Don’t worry about evil people who prosper
or fret about their wicked schemes.
Stop being angry!
Turn from your rage!
Do not lose your temper—
it only leads to harm.
For the wicked will be destroyed,
but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land.
A prayer to center you
God of all creation,
We can be burdened by the evils of this world
Weighted down by the heaviness of these days
Call us back to you
Remind us of your power
Your steadfast ways
Helps us to let go of anger, rage, and hurt
Help us to embrace love, compassion, and peace
Center our hearts in this moment
That you may speak anew to us
Grant us clarity of mind
And align us to your glory
Amen
Scripture to Ponder
2 Timothy,
Chapter 1,
verses 1 through 14
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, for the sake of the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus, 2To Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 3I am grateful to God—whom I worship with a clear conscience, as my ancestors did—when I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. 4Recalling your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy. 5I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you.
6For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; 7for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline. 8Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God, 9who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace. This grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, 10but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 11For this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher, 12and for this reason I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know the one in whom I have put my trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard until that day what I have entrusted to him. 13Hold to the standard of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14Guard the good treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us.
Reflection: Rekindle
It is now the beginning of October. Where has the year gone? In the middle of parenting a freshman in high school and sixth grader, it feels as though I have barely had a chance to catch my breath since August and the time has disappeared in busy schedules. As we have returned to the new post pandemic life the pace seems even faster than before.
When life gets SOOOO busy, my faith (and self-care) can easily fade and fizzle. In the midst of running here and there, trying to hold everything and everyone together, I often forget to slow down enough to let God work with in me. I forget to rekindle that which is within me that makes me, truly me; That which brings me joy, hope, and love. So, when I read these words from Paul to rekindle the gifts of God that are within me, I took a deep breath and paused.
I began to think about what really does rekindle my spirit. A walk outdoors? A bit of sunshine on my skin? The flames of a bond fire on a cool autumn night? A meal around a table with those I love? All of these things rekindle my spirit. Then I paused to think about the last time a took a moment to fully partake in those things that rekindle my spirit. It was hard to remember. My spirit needs a little rekindling for God did not makes to have a broken spirit but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.
Part of having a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline is allowing space to care for oneself. A hard task sometimes. Balancing everything can be difficult. The challenges of everyday tasks can be heavy and self-care can easily fall away, it can too easily feel like a luxury and not a necessity, not part of a spiritual discipline.
A friend from seminary the other days was asking what people enjoyed about working with the Enneagram. Enneagram is, for simplicity’s sake, a type of self help guide for understanding personality types. There are nine different enneagram types, each with special characteristics. Everyone has a primary number that they work from when they are healthy and balanced. When one begins getting overwhelmed or stressed they tend to move towards behaviors of the categories around them, a number above or below their own number. Normally when we do this we are not our best selves (or the best characteristics of those numbers).
My answer to her question was that knowing when my behavior was being to wiggle its way to another number, that I need to realign to find my healthy center. In the words of Paul, I need to rekindle my gifts. I need to rebalance myself so that I can act out of the best gifts that the Spirit has given me. When I feel myself or notice myself acting in unhealthy ways I can pause a little, reconnect with my creator, and allow myself to be rekindled to my holy calling in Christ Jesus with help from the Holy Spirit living within me.
The Word in Action…
What rekindles your soul?
How will you use self-disciple to rekindle your spirit and spark joy this week?
Prayer of sending
As we go from this time,
God,
Rekindle our spirits by the grace of your Holy Spirit within us.
Help us to find the peace, love and joy that you call us each to.
Guide our hands to do your work,
Open our hearts to our neighbors
and our minds to your ways.
May your Spirit guide each step on the journey
and may we see glimpses of your kingdom come to life before us and through us.
Amen
Going out.
Be faithful in a little, that you may also be found faithful in much.
Be faithful in much, that you may be entrusted with the true riches that come from above.
Go to be faithful children of light,
And come to know the deep grace, hope and peace of the one who is truly faithful at all times.
Let all God’s people say: AMEN