Wednesday, January 24, 2024

Wisdom Wednesday: Pause With The Psalms

Grace and peace to you, I’m Rev. Joe Cailles, the pastor of Peakland United Methodist Church in Lynchburg Virginia. Today is Wednesday, January 24th, 2024. In just three weeks, we at Peakland begin the season of Lent, a time when we strengthen our Christian discipleship, our connection with God and our connection with each other, so that hopefully at the end of Lent on Easter Sunday we are more faithfully following Christ. Last year during the season of Lent, we at Peakland read and considered Richard Foster’s book Celebration of Discipline and we revitalized our spiritual disciplines of fasting and study, meditation and prayer, submission and service, simplicity and solitude, and confession and worship. For this year’s Lent, Peakland is uniting around this book: Pause, spending Lent with the Psalms, written by Elizabeth F. Caldwell, a noted Christian educator and professor of pastoral theology at McCormick theological Seminary in Chicago. Each Sunday worship, during Lent, we’ll spend time with one of the Psalms and then that following week, we’ll have in person and online discussions. For the first week Lent beginning Sunday February 25 we’ll consider Psalm 25: To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me. Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. In our worship and in our discussions, we’ll consider the pathways that God is setting before us, individually and as a church family. In the weeks following we’ll consider Psalm 27; The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear. Your face, Lord, do I seek, Do not hide your face from me. We’ll read and reflect on Psalm 130: Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits. And we’ll also consider our beloved Psalm 23. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. This is a new book and a new study for me, and I’m eager to pause with you this Lenten season in worship and in discussion as we let the Psalms strengthen our faith. I have printed copies of this book available in the church office for $10 each. First come, first serve! You can order your own copy printed or e-copy at Cokesbury, Amazon or ThoughtfulChristian.com Follow the links below. Peakland has much more in store for Lent. Our vision for our church is reaching out, serving all, and extending God’s Table, and so this Lent we’ll be supporting the local helping agencies here in town with financial offerings and hands on support. We’ll be uniting around the table in our congregational Italian potluck diner feast in February. We’ll have special worship services on Ash Wednesday, Holy Thursday, and Good Friday, all leading to our Happy Easter Sunday on March 31. Reach out to me at PeaklandPastor@gmail.com if you’d like to know more about life here at Peakland and finding your place in this great church family. Cokesbury: https://www.cokesbury.com/9780664268435-Pause?refq=pause Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Pause-Spending-Elizabeth-F-Caldwell/dp/0664268439/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2FIB8RM6IIZTH&keywords=pause+elizabeth+f.+caldwell&qid=1706022885&sprefix=Pause+el,aps,130&sr=8-1 Thoughtful Christian: https://www.thethoughtfulchristian.com/Products/0664268439/pause.aspx