Faithfulness

Give us, O Lord, a steadfast heart, which no unworthy affection may drag downwards; give us an unconquered heart, which no tribulation can wear out; give us an upright heart, which no unworthy purpose may tempt aside. Bestow upon us also, O Lord our God, understanding to know you, diligence to seek you, wisdom to find you, and a faithfulness that may finally embrace you; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
-Thomas Aquinas, The Westminster Collection of Christian Prayers

And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.
-The Apostle Paul; Acts 16:13-15 (ESV)

Lydia, a foreigner and business owner, heard the gospel and was moved to action. She dedicated her home to be an outpost for the gospel in Philippi. This was a dangerous proposition, and a sacrifice, but she persisted. It is likely that she was one of the main participants and leaders in the Christian Church in Philippi, which Paul established.

O Lord, create a steadfast heart within us today. Grant us understanding, diligence, wisdom, and faithfulness that we may embrace you, through Jesus Christ. And show us how we might take action, today, for the sake of the gospel, serving others through hospitality, words of encouragement, and a God-given vision for changing the world. Amen.

~Pastor Mike Middaugh

Integrity

But they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!”
Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?”
The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar!”

-John 19:15 (NKJV)

The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office.

-Dwight D. Eisenhower

The Chief Priests had devoted their entire lives to God’s service. But in an instant, they traded faithfulness, for the convenience of removing a political opponent. They cared not for the truth, only for what was easy.

Trading integrity for power is nothing new. But it may be more difficult to maintain integrity today, when so many others seem to care little for their own.

Integrity demands we tell the truth, and seek it. Integrity means that our convictions are more important than our aspirations. And integrity calls us to do what is right, as we judge it, always.

If we truly desire to be people of integrity, we would do well to spend time with the One who is the originator of this word. In the Old Testament God identifies as “I am who I am” or in Hebrew ehyeh ’ăšer ’ehyeh (אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה). This name was given to indicate the timeless, consistent, and unchanging nature of the Creator. God simply is, and was, and will be – integrity beyond the scale.

Jesus displayed this integrity as well: entrusting his life to His Father in the garden, maintaining truthfulness (and avoiding bitterness) while on trial, and displaying the fullness of his sacrificial love upon the cross. In seeking him, and trusting him with our lives, integrity might become not so far out of reach.

~Pastor Mike Middaugh

A retirement celebration is planned for Beverly Harmon to take place on May 19. Beverly will be recognized and formally thanked in the Sunday worship service and a reception in her honor will follow in the Fellowship Hall. Thank you cards and donations in her name may be sent to the church office.

We have been given the green light by our architects to take down the walls in the Fellowship Hall!!! Members will be invited to participate in this momentous occasion and groundbreaking for our upcoming renovation project by “taking a whack” at the walls. We will do this, under professional supervision, and with the proper safety attire, at the end of Beverly’s retirement reception on May 19.

The next Voters Assembly is scheduled for Sunday June 9th following worship. The Annual Budget will be presented for approval at this meeting and the roster of nominees for Board of Directors will up for ratification.

A new online calendar has been established for Calvary events in order to provide a more user friendly experience when seeking information on our activities. You can find this calendar through the Calvary website, or by visiting: http://calvarysilverspring.view-events.com

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This SundayThe readings for this Sunday are: Acts 11:1-18; Revelation 21:1-6; John 13:31-35

Wednesday of Holy Week

The earthly form of Christ is the form that died on the cross. The image of God is the image of Christ crucified. It is to this image that the life of the disciples must be conformed; in other words, they must be conformed to his death (Phil 3.10, Rom 6.4) The Christian life is a life of crucifixion (Gal 2.19) In baptism the form of Christ’s death is impressed upon his own. They are dead to the flesh and to sin, they are dead to the world, and the world is dead to them (Gal 6.14). Anybody living in the strength of Christ’s baptism lives in the strength of Christ’s death.

  – Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship

Good Friday is perhaps the most difficult event in all of Scripture for us humans to get our minds around. The idea that God, if there is a God, would not only allow, but will, his son to die on a cross, is incomprehensible to many. To top it off, we call this event “Good”

And it is hard to understand. I recently heard a comedian sum up Christianity in this way: “The notion that accepting Jesus Christ as your savior absolves you of all wrongdoing of any scale feels like a crock of ****.”

It is only honest of us to express our own concerns, doubts, or wonderings about the mystery of salvation through Jesus’ sacrifice. But what I hope we can find as we worship and observe these next few Holy Days, is that God is at work in a powerful way in this moment. God has not just sent his son to die as an expression of love, or as a lesson about sacrifice or humility. Rather, the moment of Jesus death is a cosmic, powerful, God-sized atonement event where in an instance Jesus has all the sin and evil of the world piled on his shoulders, and then buried with him in the tomb. He takes it all, and pays the price.

We should not be tempted to think that there is magic or hocus-pocus involved. Or that just by saying we “choose Jesus” as our savior that we are saved by our words. What has happened is that he has chosen us. Not everyone sees it. Sometimes this truth might slip out of focus for us as well. But the cross is proof that God has chosen to save humanity, providing a path to salvation for the world.

The joy of resurrection is around the corner. But for these few days let us sit in thankfulness, reflecting on the goodness of this Friday, where we see beyond all doubt, that though we have been weak, he is strong.

~Pastor Mike Middaugh

Soon

Many indeed are the wondrous happenings of that time: God hanging from a Cross, the sun made dark, and again flaming out; for it was fitting that creation should mourn with its Creator. The temple veil rent, blood and water flowing from his side: the one as from a man, the other as from what was above man; the earth was shaken, the rocks shattered because of the rock; the dead risen to bear witness of the final and universal resurrection of the dead. The happenings at the sepulchre, and after the sepulchre, who can fittingly recount them? Yet not one of them can be compared to the miracle of my salvation. A few drops of blood renew the whole world, and do for all men what the rennet does for milk: joining us and binding us together.
– St Gregory of Nazianzus in Ancient Commentary on Scripture

Indeed, many are the wondrous happening of these next days. We are invited to watch and see, to come and worship, to meditate and reflect.

What are your plans for this Holy Week? How will you meet with Him? Will you change your routines to make room?

~Pastor Mike Middaugh