Calvary, Silver Spring

To the Mountains

March 29, 2017

29 Mar 2017

Psalm 121
A song of ascents.

1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord watches over you—
the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

Have you lifted your eyes up the mountains?

Have you looked with wonder to the peaks and high places of this earth? Gazing up we may be struck with wonder – a snow-lined, jagged peak, awesome for its beauty; awe-inspiring because it may seem unattainable, out of reach.

But in looking up we may recognize our own reality. We are down low. Sometimes on even, flat ground. At other times we may be in the valley. When we are the lowest, the mountains may seem even farther away.

But up we look, and with hope.

While we may be held low by brokenness, sin, and the despair of this world, we know another who has climbed the mountain for us. Raised high upon the cross, on Calvary for all to see, our savior gave himself that we might find protection.

Six times in this Psalm we are reminded of his “watching over us,” as one can only do from above.

His protection is complete, sufficient, and thorough because he neither slumbers, nor sleeps.

7 The Lord will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

in Discipleship, General, Midweek Meditations /by Michael Middaugh

Remember Me

March 23, 2017

23 Mar 2017

Psalm 25
Of David.

1 In you, Lord my God,
I put my trust.
2 I trust in you;
do not let me be put to shame,
nor let my enemies triumph over me.
3 No one who hopes in you
will ever be put to shame,
but shame will come on those
who are treacherous without cause.
4 Show me your ways, Lord,
teach me your paths.
5 Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.
6 Remember, Lord, your great mercy and love,
for they are from of old.
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth
and my rebellious ways;
according to your love remember me,
for you, Lord, are good.

Remember me.

It is as if to say: Think on me. Consider me and don’t forget. Keep me in your heart and mind.

But as others think of us, what are their thoughts? Do they think of us as kind, compassionate, generous, wise, humorous, loving? Or something else?

I have often noticed at funerals that we invoke the best memories and characteristics of those we care about. We dwell on those things which are good, and cover over that which is bad. It is love that allows for this pardoning perspective.

But God cannot cover over sin. In light of his perfect justice, we stand convicted in our wrongs. God is loving, to be sure. But just as certainly as God is loving, he is also righteous.

For this reason, asking God to remember us is risky business. How can we stand before him with hope in our hearts?

Only in this: we have a redeemer. Our good works cannot save us, but his will. He lived perfectly even though we haven’t. He gave his life so we might not loose ours. And now, when God remembers us, he remembers his Son.

So pray the words of David:

7 Do not remember the sins of my youth
and my rebellious ways;
according to your love remember me,
for you, Lord, are good.

And know this, that even the thief on the cross was bold to cry out: Remember me, when you come into your kingdom.

And Jesus did.

in Discipleship, General, Justice, Midweek Meditations /by Michael Middaugh

De Profundis

March 15, 2017

15 Mar 2017

Psalm 130
Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord!
2 O Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my pleas for mercy!
3 If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?
4 But with you there is forgiveness,
that you may be feared.
5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
6 my soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen for the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning.
7 O Israel, hope in the Lord!
For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
and with him is plentiful redemption.
8 And he will redeem Israel
from all his iniquities.

Out of the depths…

Out of the depths (De Profundis in Latin), I cry to you, O Lord!

A sense of place is immediately upon us. Figurative more than literal: Darkness. Sadness. Pain. Disappointment. Frustration. Longing. Brokenness.

This world is too weak to bear the burden of our hope. It fails us. We fail ourselves. We cry out.

So it has been for millennia. The unknown psalmist cries out as well. But cries out for what?

To be heard? To be known? To have the burden lifted? To receive the promise of a better day, a better future, a time when our hopes will not be crushed? What do we hope our petitions will bring?

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;
My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning.

Out of the depths… This gives a sense of place, yes. But these words can have two meanings. Out of the depths – I am lifted. Now its something else. One seems hopeless, one the opposite. But why?

We place our hope in the Lord, not only because he has the power to lift us out of darkness. (He does.) But because he has entered the darkness with us. If there is a beauty to the cross, it is the fact that on it, God’s love shined so bright, it appeared as darkness for a while. There, he bore our: Sadness. Pain. Disappointment. Frustration. Longing. Brokenness.

And now he lifts us.

For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
and with him is plentiful redemption.

in General /by Michael Middaugh

Forgiveness

March 8, 2017

08 Mar 2017

~by Pastor Mike Middaugh

Psalm 32
1 Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
2 Blessed is the one against whom the Lord counts no iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
3 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.
5 I acknowledged my sin to you,
and I did not cover my iniquity;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.

What does it take to forgive?

A word, yes. But more. Forgiveness has a price.

It is a swallowing up of pride, of pain, of vindication. Hard, because it can feel like a setting aside of justice:

“They deserve to be punished.”
“How will they ever learn?”
“Why can’t they just be better?”

Forgiveness says, “This ends here.”

But forgiveness has a price. In swallowing the sin of another, and stopping the cycle of pain, we allow it to rest with us. Forgiveness is knowing that we have been wronged, and yet exacting no repayment.

Hard to do, but it has been done for us. On the cross we see God’s Son. Himself perfect, yet there because of sin. Our wrongs are placed on his shoulders. He is willingly crushed by our sin, that it might be taken, buried, covered over. Forgiveness has a price. God’s Son is the one who pays.

Yet forgiveness has an even greater secret waiting to be released. Joy.

Once the price is paid, the score is settled, joy flows from the exchange.

Joy: in second chances.

Joy: in reconciled relationships.

Joy: in new life granted.

11 Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous,
and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

in Discipleship, Midweek Meditations /by Michael Middaugh

Spring Clothing Drive

March 5, 2017

05 Mar 2017

Lent is a time we may think of giving something up for 40 days so we might be reminded to connect with God. But instead of just giving something up, what if we worked to make a difference for others? That’s why we are taking on this Lent challenge, recognizing how much we have, and responding to Jesus call to love our neighbor. Every Sunday in March we will be collecting gently used, clean clothing for Interfaith Works Clothing Center located in Rockville. Bring your clothing (coats, linens, bedding, also needed) to the collection containers in the narthex.