Worship Wednesday with Pastor Edith
May 27, 2026
Psalm 4:1

The other day may daughter and I were talking about recent events that have happened for us that puts a sense of crisis in our hearts and minds. She politely reminded me that I am better with the calm and peaceful moments than I am with the chaotic ones. I agreed and responded that I am not gifted at crisis management. I should have added that this only proves that I need to trust Christ to manage all of my life.

A friend shared with me that she had a crisis of faith when her father was so sick and no one seemed to be able or even seemed to want to find out what was killing him. I told her that I remember speaking with her on the phone on one of those days that seemed so dark for her. My purpose for calling her was selfish; I needed a ride to an event we were both attending and when I called I had no idea what she was going through. This gave us an opportunity to talk, cry and pray together. Have you ever had a crisis of faith? A time when it seems even God is not listening to you. You’ve prayed and prayed and sought God’s will, only to feel farther and farther away from Him. I will admit that I have yet to be subjected to such a crisis, though I have had many moments of sheer panic, while still realizing God was with me. These days I feel a prompting of the Holy Spirit making me aware that some very hard days are coming, some very hard decisions will have to be made and it may feel very much like I am alone. This is where I am so thankful for all of you who take time to read these simple meditations and hold me and my family up in prayer, because the truth is I am never alone, you are never alone.

David had many moments when all he could do was cry out to the Lord. Psalm 4 is an example; “Answer me when I call to you. O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer…I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord make me dwell in safety.” If you or someone you know is going through what I call; “the valley of the shadow of death”, take some moments today to stop and pray, ask the Holy Spirit to come and bring comfort and direction to the situation. Ask Him also to put someone on your mind that you might call to have a conversation about what is troubling and a good way to end your conversation is praying the Lord’s Prayer together, I will be praying this with and for you all through the day, after all, it is Worship Wednesday (smile).

A closing Hymn for today is: “Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, let this blest assurance control, that Christ has regarded my helpless estate, and hath shed his own blood for my soul. It is well, with my soul, It is well, it is well with my soul” (Horatio G. Spafford-“It is Well with My Soul” 1873).

AMEN and Pray on!

Worship Wednesday with Pastor Edith
May 20, 2026
Luke 3:16, Acts 2:1-11

This Sunday many local churches will be celebrating Pentecost. A day when the church celebrates our birth as the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost over 2000 years ago, enabling and inspiring all Christ followers to go and tell the Gospel good news.

Some may even have birthday parties to celebrate this gift of Pentecost, others may even have a form of a graduation party that may include baptism or re-dedication as a way of moving from one age of non-commitment to a new age of true commitment. What will you do?

Luke records in the book of Acts that the Holy Spirit came in somewhat of a tornado of wind and power, even alighting on each one present in the form of a flame. John the Baptist foretold this when he was baptizing at the Jordan; “I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come… He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire” (Luke 3:16). This was an outward and visible witness that a drastic change was happening. Not only were the followers of Christ being birthed into a vibrant faith, but they would be graduating with new wisdom and ability to speak in languages they had never been taught so as to reach all nations with the good news of Jesus and His salvation. Luke writes; “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them” (Acts 2:4).

In reflecting on these passages, Pastor David Bender writes; “That Spirit has been loosed into the world, and its creative and life-giving power is now the gift of families and communities, of churches, and of nations. The relevant question becomes not just ‘How will I respond to these gifts of the Spirit?’ but ‘How will WE (emphasis, mine) respond to these gifts?’” To all of you who have responded to the Holy Spirit’s prompting to follow Jesus Christ, I say; Happy Birthday and Congratulations on your graduation!

AMEN and Pray on!

Worship Wednesday with Pastor Edith
May 13, 2026
1 Chronicles 16:27

My grandson was singing softly on our way home from school the other day. I asked him what was it that he kept repeating over and over again. He said; “can’t steal my joy”. I asked him to sing it for me because it sounded familiar, as I thought I’d heard it on the radio. I loved the part that says; ”what the world couldn’t give, no, it can’t take away…” (Can’t Steal My Joy by Josiah Queen with Brandon Lake). Funny, how I landed on a devotional today that speaks of the joy that we can have when we have Jesus in our lives; “Joy is not the same as pleasure or happiness. A wicked and evil man may have pleasure, while any ordinary mortal is capable of being happy…Joy is steady and abiding, like a fixed star. Pleasure depends on external circumstances, such as money, food, travel, etc. Joy is independent of them, for it comes from a good conscience and love of God” (“The Wisdom of Fulton Sheen” pg.48).

Our Scripture passage for today speaks of this attribute of God; “Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his dwelling place” (1 Chronicles 16:27). With that thought, it stands to reason that if I am loving God with all that I am, then I am living in joy, God’s joy. I would think one great way we can share this marvelous joy is to smile often and especially when you meet someone along your journey, and remember, “All people smile in the same language” (“Apples of Gold” pg.24).

Singing as I close this meditation; “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart, down in my heart, down in my heart. I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart, down in my heart to stay…” Perhaps you’d like to sing this all the way through, and as you do, smile!

AMEN and Pray on!

Worship Wednesday with Pastor Edith
May 6, 2026
John 14:1-3

I learned an old hymn years ago that comforts me today. I received word that a dear Lady I have had the joy to know passed away and as her husband put it; “She is with Jesus now”. The chorus of the hymn says; “I’ve got a mansion, just over the hilltop, in that bright land where, we’ll never grow old. And some day yonder, we’ll never more wander, but walk on streets that are purest gold” (Lyrics by Ira F. Stanphill).

Jesus, in preparing his disciples for his departure shares this; “Let not your hearts be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:1-3). I have shared these verses many times to comfort and encourage families at grave side services, and now, I find these words comfort me, and I pray, they will comfort you.

Dr. David Jeremiah shares in his book “The Promise of Heaven”; “Jesus began His words on a note of assurance…Imagine the Lord Jesus Christ, standing in all His strength and splendor, looking at you amid the situations of your life and saying: ‘Don’t be worried and upset’…Today we’ve accumulated an armory of agents to help us combat anxiety…But on that long-ago night amid the flickering torches of the upper room, the Lord Jesus had only one recommendation: Himself (pgs. 13-14). My prayer for you today is to seek Jesus and find His Holy Spirit comforting you and guiding you to the next step on your pilgrimage to Heaven. For my friend that has gone ahead of me; I look forward to seeing you again my sister in Christ and sweet friend.

AMEN and Pray on!

Worship Wednesday with Pastor Edith
April 29, 2026
John 21:1-14

Have you ever worked at something for a long time, thinking you know what you are doing and don’t need any help or unsolicited suggestions? In our scripture for today I imagine Peter and his fishing buddies probably felt pretty secure in their job experience. Here comes someone they don’t recognize, or perhaps because of the early morning hours they can’t see well enough to recognize this someone; “At dawn Jesus was standing on the beach, but the disciples couldn’t see who he was. He called out, ‘Fellows, have you caught any fish?’ ‘No’, they replied. Then he said, ‘Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get some!’. At this point in the story, Jesus had been raised from the dead and had visited the disciples two times already, and yet, they are still having trouble believing that Jesus is alive. I can just imagine that Peter and the others complied with the stranger’s suggestion perhaps if only to prove the less experienced fisherman wrong. Or, it could be that Peter has a memory of a very similar suggestion when he was new to following Jesus. In Luke 5:1-9 we read of a time when Peter and his pals are with Jesus as he is preaching on the shore of the same Sea of Galilee; “When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.’ ‘Master,’ Simon replied, ‘we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.’ And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking” (Luke 5:1-7).

There are times in our lives that we think we know what we are doing, and perhaps it had been working pretty well, and then it isn’t working well. You might remember the old adage; “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again”. But what if all your “trying and trying” is only wearing you out and you can’t seem to find a way to make it work for you again. Here’s a thought; Step away from the situation, if you can, and find a moment to take a deep breath and while exhaling simply pray; “Help me Jesus.” It could be that he has been trying to show you a different and better way to tackle what is in front of you, a way that brings peace and not conflict, but you’ve been so busy doing things your way, or the way you’ve been taught by others for so long that any other way seems foolish. Just think of Peter’s response and frame it in your own context; “But Jesus, I have been doing it this way, the way I know, the way that worked before and nothing is working out now, but because YOU say so, I will try it your way.”

I’d be very interested to hear how that works out for you.

AMEN and Pray on!

Worship Wednesday with Pastor Edith
April 15, 2026
Galatians 6:3-4

While sitting with my sweet hubby for morning devotions and prayer, he noticed that my table Bible has all kinds of notes tucked here and there. I told him, “I bet you are wondering why I have so many notes and papers in this Bible”. He responded; “No, I think they are breadcrumbs, you know to show you where you’ve been in case you want to go back”. Wow! That was a wonderful insight. Yes, I do review the notes from time to time, and sometimes I wonder why it was so important at the time to make a note. Still, my hubby believes that I know what I’m doing, so I will be happy to let that continue (smile).

Today’s wondering through God’s Word brought me to Galatians 6:3-4, and as you read it, you might grin and understand how it connects to what I just shared with you about my “Bible Breadcrumbs”; “If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone without comparing themselves to someone else, for each one should carry their own load”.

You see, I want to be the follower of Christ who consistently and constantly connects with His Word, but I am not nearly consistent and constant enough, let’s say I just get sidetracked. I would imagine some of you understand that as well. Still, the Lord never grows weary in gently reminding his children to pay attention, stay in the moment, listen and we will hear what He is trying to tell us. Sometimes it takes reviewing your Bible Breadcrumbs, do you have any? If you don’t, you might try it and rejoice when you are led back to a moment with Him that helped you hear and see Him more clearly. Caution – Always assess where you are in your faith journey faithfully and honestly, never compare yourself to someone else, you are you and you are not them, you can find joy in being who you are.

A simple chorus comes to mind as I close this meditation today; “I Will Serve Thee”; “I will serve Thee because I love Thee; You have given life to me. I was nothing before You found me; You have given life to me. Heartaches, broken pieces, ruined lives are why You died on Calv’ry. Your touch was what I longed for; You have given life to me” (William and Gloria Gaither, 1969).

AMEN and Pray on!

Worship Wednesday with Pastor Edith
April 8, 2026
Colossians 3:1-4

Today’s journal verse comes to us on the heels of our celebrations of Christ’s resurrection/Easter. Purposefully planned by the writers of the reading and journaling plan I am following. The verse for today, in it’s original context, comes from Paul’s letter to the believers in a place called Colosse. This was a place that once was a booming trade location. During it’s boom time there were many philosophies being shared which would confuse the new believers. The philosophies that were being taught led the Christians to think that believing in Jesus Christ was good, still there might be more, just in case faith in Christ alone was not sufficient. A word for this would be; syncretism: “the tendency to regard other philosophies and religions as equally valid as Christianity” (Halley’s study Bible pg.1510). I like to think of it as the mix and match belief system. Have you ever thought that way? That Christ couldn’t possibly be enough, that it was too simple? Or, that it was too confining? A lot to think about.

The other day, I was visiting with a friend who felt as if she was in a very dark time, some would call it depression. We hadn’t seen each other in quite a while, so, just the visit itself brought a bit of sunshine. Still, she wanted my advice on getting out of the darkness of despair and into the light of God’s joy. I was careful to inquire if she had some medical attention, perhaps to help a very real chemical imbalance that often accompanies depression. When she said yes, she had regular check-ups and had some medication. These helped, but it just wasn’t enough. As a friend, I suggested the scripture we have for today as an opening to a new way of thinking; “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ appears, then you also will appear with him in glory”. Two words worth defining; “Raised”, and “Set”. “Raised with Christ” is not an allusion to being taught from childhood, but being raised to life as in baptism. “Set” is not a one-time thing, as in set in stone, it is a word that from the Greek meaning an active and continual discipline to re-focus.

I shared with my friend that when sorrow threatens to steal my joy, I must take charge and re-focus my thoughts. Just as Paul here is telling the Christians in Colosse in approx. 60 A.D./C.E., to turn away from thinking on earthly philosophies, or mixing and matching, but turn their thoughts on Jesus Christ, and His gift of salvation and freedom from anything and everything that would keep their hearts tethered to this world. My friend asked me how is that possible? I suggested we look at her bible together and begin a reading and memorization plan. We looked at the Gospel of John. I said; “here’s a good one-John 1:12”; “To all who did receive him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God”. Another we looked at is one my church recites every Sunday, John 3:16. I bet some of you know this one by heart .I explained that the purpose of reading, reciting and remembering scripture is to stay very close to God and His way, and less attached to ourselves and our way. I believe His was is better. Also, from the time I was young, I was encouraged to memorize scripture as Psalm 119:11 states; “I will have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you [God]”.

The next time I saw her, she looked much happier. I don’t know if what I shared helped, or if it just helped that I came to visit and she was tolerating my ideas. Either way, a seed has been planted and I am looking forward to watching her bloom. For you and for me, I want to remind us all that every Sunday is a little Easter, where transformation and new life can begin (any time of worship is this for us as well). With that I will close our Worship Wednesday with part of a hymn that was written in 1979 to a tune that was written in 1867; “Easter People raise your voices, sounds of heaven in earth should ring. Christ has brought us heaven’s choices; heavenly music, let it ring. Alleluia! Alleluia! Easter people, let us sing.”

 AMEN and Pray on!

Good Friday Meditation with Pastor Edith
April 3, 2026
Colossians 1:20

There are many songs and hymns about the cross of Christ and so it is with great difficulty I have chosen only one. I believe this one will mean something to someone today that perhaps you hadn’t considered and perhaps will help you see this Good Friday in a new light.

The hymn; “Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross” written by Fanny Crosby in 1869 represents for me a prayer I pray today that the sacrifice of Christ may inspire me to never forget how much God loves me that he gave His only begotten Son for my sins. May you be inspired as well, because God loves you and did this for you; “Jesus, keep me near the cross, there a precious fountain, free to all, a healing stream, flows from Calvary’s mountain. In the cross, in the cross, be my glory ever, till my raptured soul shall find rest beyond the river”.

It’s been said that when Fanny Crosby wrote these lyrics, her hope was to bring back a reverence and revelation for people of her day who were emphasizing the “moral teachings of Jesus, the virtue and goodness that He modeled for us. This was all well and good, but they were also seriously downplaying Jesus’ sacrificial crucifixion. Crosby echoed the apostle Paul, ‘May I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ’ (Galatians 6:14)”

(Excerpt from “The One Year Book of Hymns” pg.81). Take some time today to reflect on how much God loves you. Read this verse out loud and let the Holy Spirit lift you to a greater joy and peace; “Through Christ God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross (Colossians 1:20).

AMEN and Pray on!