Somewhere It Hides a Well

Sometimes I sleep with all the lights on. It helps me to appreciate the night.
 – Pat Green, Texas Country Artist, Singer / Songwriter

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“The desert is beautiful,” the little prince added.

And that was true. I have always loved the desert. One sits down on a desert sand dune, sees nothing, hears nothing. Yet through the silence something throbs, and gleams . . .

“What makes the desert beautiful,” said the little prince, “is that somewhere it hides a well . . .”

I was astonished by a sudden understanding of that mysterious radiation of the sands. When I was a little boy I lived in an old house, and legend told us that a treasure was buried there. To be sure, no one had ever known how to find it; perhaps no one had ever even looked for it. But it cast an enchantment over that house. My home was hiding a secret in the depths of its heart . . .

“Yes,” I said to the little prince. “The house, the stars, the desert–what gives them their beauty is something that is invisible!”
  – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

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Salvation can only truly be understood by those who once walked heavy laden.

Joy is most profound in those good gifts of God that are born through trial.

And let us not seek to escape the quiet, for it is there, in stillness, that God may speak the loudest.

~Pastor Mike Middaugh

Prayers for Our Nation

We meet on democracy’s front porch. A good place to talk as neighbors and as friends. For this is a day when our nation is made whole, when our differences, for a moment, are suspended. And my first act as President is a prayer. I ask you to bow your heads.

Heavenly Father, we bow our heads and thank You for Your love. Accept our thanks for the peace that yields this day and the shared faith that makes its continuance likely. Make us strong to do Your work, willing to heed and hear Your will, and write on our hearts these words: “Use power to help people.” For we are given power not to advance our own purposes, nor to make a great show in the world, nor a name. There is but one just use of power, and it is to serve people. Help us remember, Lord. Amen.
 – Inaugural Address of George H. W. Bush, January 20, 1989

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 Lord, we pray that the ropes that bind our nation together, though frayed, will never break; that the greatest of our natural resources – the love of our people – will abound, flowing even beyond our shores; that our flinty determination will cause sparks of innovation to fly but never set wildfires of anger that we are not big enough to extinguish. And most of all, that you will be with us, as you have always been. Amen.
  – Joshua Dubois, The President’s Devotional, entry for July 4

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O God, our help in ages past, today, our nation is not unified, our voices do not speak together, and our hearts are torn as well. Our country, and the world, face many obstacles. Suffering, need, and injustice, seem ever present. Even creation groans with the weight of human burdens. In the face of these challenges we ask you to grant mercy to us your people, to be present in a new way, and to reveal the path of truth. Grant discernment and wisdom to those who lead our country, the President and those who advise him, and all our elected officials.

We pray that a new day of hope and understanding would begin with us, with our work, our words, and our actions; that we would be patient and compassionate as we deal with one another. And that you would bring unity to our nation, teaching us to walk alongside one another, rather than apart. Finally, Lord, teach us to seek your will and justice as we go. Amen. 

~Pastor Mike Middaugh

Gentleness and Self-Control

But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
– Matthew 5:44-48 (NIV)

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I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.’

“Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’”
– Matthew 25:36-40 (The Message)

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Jesus challenges his followers to radical compassion and radical love. These are some of the most unfair verses of scripture, but they are unequivocally good. We are being called to extend mercy and generosity to others, not based upon what they deserve, but based upon what is right before our God.

Nearly every news story today is reason for concern. So many things we hear and read may cause us to become angry, jaded, and bitter towards the world. Sometimes the opinions or actions of others lead us to be frustrated and to seek some avenue for lashing out.

But the Fruit of the Spirit we find this week, gentleness and self-control, urge us to take another approach. We must manage our emotions so that we do not miss opportunities to love others and serve the least of these. A gentle approach, rather than anger, was the method by which Jesus changed the world. And we can too.

~Pastor Mike Middaugh

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Join us each week during the Sundays of Summer as we explore each of the Fruits of the Spirit and what they mean to us in our lives.

At the Voters Assembly on June 9th, the Calvary congregation approved a budget for Fiscal Year 2020 and elected officers to serve on the Board. Additionally, updates were provided regarding the status of construction and renovation work, as well as ministry reports from key leaders. Thank you to those able to attend and participate in discussions on these important issues! If you were not able to attend but have questions or would like any documents related to this meeting, please contact cynthiacarr@calvarysilverspring.org

The Calvary Youth Group will meet Saturday evening, June 22nd at 7:00pm for a service project at the church, and a pizza dinner. Numerous old desks and chairs have collected in the school attic and to prepare for construction to begin the youth will be helping to remove these items. Others who may be willing to help with this project, mostly lifting and carrying moderately sized items, would be welcome to join the effort.

The Women of Calvary will meet on Saturday, June 22nd from 9:30 to 11:30am. Women are invited to bring a breakfast item to share, and all women are invited. Becky Johnson will speak on her role as Calvary’s representative for Faith Community Nursing. Please contact Kate Tomes, katetomes24@gmail.com with questions.

Calvary families are invited to a pool party on June 30th, after worship, at the invitation of the Schwartz family. This event will take place at the Kenmont Pool, 2900 Faulkner Place, Kensington MD. There is a $7pp admission charge to enter. BYO lunch.

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

This Sunday
The readings for this Sunday are: Isaiah 65:1-9; Galatians 3:23-29; Luke 8:26-39