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!

Worship Wednesday with Pastor Edith
March 4, 2026
1 John 5:14-15

In my neck of the woods, the temperatures are a bit warmer and with the warmth has come rain, lots of rain with more on the way. Isn’t that the way of things; you ask for warmer temperatures but forgot to ask for sunny or maybe partly cloudy days in which to run and play.

In reading today’s journal verse I have been asking myself; “How much of what happens to me is a result of my prayers?” And, “How much of what happens to me is simply the result of God’s will regardless of my prayers?”. Maybe you have had similar questions and, if so, I hope and pray this little meditation may help.

Our journal verse comes from 1 John 5:14-15; “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we ask of Him”. It would seem that the Apostle John is writing this to the early church after only 50 or 60 years have passed since Jesus died on the cross, was resurrected and ascended to the Father in Heaven. These early followers of Christ were easily lead astray by boldly speaking philosophers, masking themselves as prophets who try to confuse them and make them believe that Jesus was not enough for salvation, nor does he care. In the verses we are considering today, John is telling the church that God hears our prayers when we pray His will, not our own. John also knows that Jesus taught the disciples that they were to ask for what they needed in His name; “Until now you have not asked [The Father] for anything in My name; but now ask and keep on asking and you will receive, so that your joy may be full and complete” (John 16:24).

It is interesting to note that the Greek word for confidence in the beginning of our journal verse means a bold joy. On the one hand the false teachers are speaking boldly a lie, on the other hand the Christ followers have a bold joy in knowing that God hears their prayers because they are asking for God’s will. You might recall how Jesus taught his disciples to pray, and we recite it every Sunday; “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”.

So, how much of what happens to me is a result of my prayers, and, how much of what happens to me is a result of God’s will regardless of my prayers? I’m pretty confident (smile) that John is aligning himself with what Jesus taught in praying for God’s will to be done, not in a way that God’s will won’t be done if believers don’t pray, or pray with only their own motives in mind, but that our prayer life is reflective of our closeness to the Lord in His Word and in His Way (The Jesus Way, The joyful Way). If I’ve confused you, I invite you to ask the Lord to have His Holy Spirit walk you through the readings I have shared with you and lead you to pray and listen for God to answer in whatever way you are gifted.

Now, on to a song to help us pray and listen; “Father, let your kingdom come, Father, let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven right here in my heart” (Matt Maher, TAYA – “The Lord’s Prayer” (It’s Yours), you might want to listen to it on your phone or device.

AMEN and Pray on!

Worship Wednesday with Pastor Edith
February 25, 2026
Taking inspiration from my journal scripture verse, Proverbs 10:12
from “The Message bible”; “Hatred starts fights, but love pulls a quilt over the bickering.”

In my journal notes I ask the question; Am I careful to not let my dislike turn into hatred?

I also noted that sometimes hatred comes on quickly; you see or hear of someone being terribly abused and you instantly hate the abuser. Sometimes hate comes on more gradually; you have been committed to someone and have poured your heart and soul into the relationship and they begin to ignore you, slight you, neglect you and day by day these attitudes increase and your love turns into hatred. It is so difficult to imitate Christ in this world, isn’t it? You want to be more like Jesus, you ask yourself “what would Jesus do”?

Here’s the first thing Jesus would do; Jesus would turn to his heavenly father and ask for help. In fact, Jesus did that, a lot! It also helps to put your mind on heavenly things (see Colossians 3:2-3). The reality is that we live in a troubled and hate filled world and even though we want to be the change that we want to see in this world, it’s still feels overwhelming. So, let me encourage you today with a few “lighter” proverbs I have found this evening in my book; “Apples of Gold”; “In any controversy the instant we feel anger we have already ceased striving for truth, and have begun striving for ourselves”. “People who fly into a rage, always make a bad landing”, “There is only a slight difference between keeping your chin up and sticking your neck out, but it’s worth knowing”. Here’s one just to bring a smile; “Are you sure that you are Right? How fine and strong! But were you ever just as sure—and wrong?”

How about a little bit of a hymn to close our time this evening; “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace”.

AMEN and Pray on!

Worship Wednesday with Pastor Edith
February 11, 2026
John 17:20-26

It’s been a busy, but productive day, though as you can see by the time of day I am posting this, there is still so much more I want to do. I have to remind myself that I am not as young and efficient as I used to be, so taking time to stop, worship, pray is exactly the right thing to do. I hope you will find today’s meditation helpful even as the sun is starting to set.

My journal scripture, which is our text for today, comes from a prayer that Jesus prayed first for his disciples then, and closing with a prayer for his disciples in the future. In context: Jesus had been teaching and encouraging the chosen 12 as he prepares to bring them to the Garden of Gethsemane and then he will be arrested and eventually sentenced to crucifixion.

Jesus prays; “My prayer is not for them alone, I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you…I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to compete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me…I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them”.

My study bible has this to say; “’I in them and you in me’. The mutual indwelling of the Father in the Son and the Son in the church is also the means to unity, the ultimate expression of God’s love” (“Halley’s Study Bible”- 2020 edition, pg.1349). Soon we will celebrate Valentine’s Day, and for me a day to celebrate the fact that “we love, because God first loved us and sent his son as an atoning sacrifice or our sins” (1 John 4:10). What wondrous love is this! The best way to experience authentic love, is to begin and grow in a relationship with God. To understand that God loved us so much that he sent his one and only son, God himself in the flesh (Immanuel) to take our sins to a brutal death on a cross, which then would result in his resurrection and ascension back to heaven; all to declare God’s love and invitation for all to seek Him and love Him, to be mindful of His return to make all things new again.

I’m singing as I close the meditation for today; “What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul. What wondrous love is this, O my soul. What wondrous love is this that caused the Lord of bliss to bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul, to bear the dreadful curse for my soul”.

AMEN and Pray and Sing On!

Worship Wednesday with Pastor Edith
February 4, 2026
Zephaniah 3:17

My journal scripture, our study text, for today is very familiar to me. This was the bible verse for an Emmaus Walk that I attended with the clergy team nearly 9 years ago. My timing was a bit off to leave for a ministry event when the birth of my youngest granddaughter was supposed to be approximately that same week. Sometimes making choices when it comes to service opportunities gets tricky when you have a precious family that also needs to be a priority. God was gracious and our sweet Isabelle was born the day before I was to go out of town. Hence, the verse on my Emmaus gift bag was this very Zephaniah 3:17 and became Isabelle’s life verse. She thrills me every time she recites it with her big, missing a few teeth, smile.

The verse is a beautiful reminder of how much God loves his children, but it is good to take a look at the original context which will make this verse even more wonderful. Zephaniah was a prophet of God during the reign of Judah’s King Josiah during the 7th century BCE. It was at this time that a very Godly and righteous King Josiah, who, at the age of 8 had become king after his evil father, Amon, was assassinated by his own people. (boy, he must have been a real piece of work). For 31 years King Josiah endeavored to bring the people back to God with proper worship, and righteous living. He tore down the pagan shrines and symbols, he ordered the restoration of the temple which had been left to deteriorate. However, the sins of his predecessors had not gone unnoticed by God, and keeping his promise to punish the people for years of disobedience and following after other gods, well, let’s just say, payday was coming.

The punishment had previously been at the hand of the Assyrians and soon the Babylonians would conquer and deport the people of Judah. It seems that the books of the law of God had been hidden in the temple, perhaps to save them from the wicked kings or the onslaught of their enemies, either way, when Josiah demanded the temple be restored and the scrolls of the Pentateuch/Law were discovered, things were about to change dramatically. When Josiah heard God’s law read out loud, he mourned the neglect of the people to obey God and realized that there would come a day when they would have to pay for their unfaithfulness. This is where Zephaniah comes in to tell the king and the people what God called them to do, here’s an example from Zephaniah 3:7; “Of Jerusalem I thought, surely you will fear me and accept correction! Then her place of refuge would not be destroyed, nor all my punishments come upon her. But they were still eager to act corruptly in all they did”. My study bible notes say this; “Judgment implies a necessary purification process. You can’t get the impurities out without first identifying their presence…Once judgment is accepted and the proper response is made, we fully experience God’s grace” (Halley’s Study Bible 2020 edition, pg. 1123).

Now we can see our verse for today in the context of a prophecy that even though God’s people had forsaken Him, no matter how many prophets had warned them of God’s wrath to come, God still did not forget or forsake them. As you read our verse for today, try to picture a time when you felt far away from God, or perhaps you know someone that is really going through the wringer of life. Read and hear these words from God as a message of the hope that can be found when we renew our desire to be at one with Him, and to know His peace; “The Lord, your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing” (Zephaniah 3:17 NIV 1990).

AMEN and Pray on!

Sunday with Pastor Edith
February 1, 2026
Luke 4:1-21

Since our congregation won’t be meeting together in our church building, I thought it best to send out a bit of reflection and worship to keep us “gathering together” as much as possible.

Yesterday, I found a treasure among my disorganized theology books. It is a copy of Clarence Jordan’s “Cotton Patch version of Luke and Acts – Jesus’ Doings and the Happenings – A modern translation with a Southern accent, fervent, earthy, rich in humor”. I was given this book on February 7th, 1980. I was serving with the Habitat for Humanity team at the headquarters, at that time, in Americus Georgia, which is very close to Clarence Jordan’s Koinonia Farms; “a pioneering interracial farming community”. In his Cotton Patch version of our text for today Clarence writes this about Jesus in the place of temptation: “So, on fire for God, Jesus returned from his baptism. Then in this spirit he was moved to go into the back woods for forty days, where the Confuser took some cracks at him” (pg. 23). The text goes on to tell the story of how the devil tempted Jesus with food (because Jesus was fasting), power (because Jesus claimed to be the son of God), and with pride (because Jesus could work amazing miracles). On each attempt to tempt, Jesus refuted the devil with God’s word/law. A marvelous testimony for us today, to stay very close to God’s word/law when it comes to decision making.

Our text for today then moves Jesus to Galilee; “in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. He was teaching in the synagogues, and everyone praised him”(Luke 4:14-15 NIV). Jesus is invited to read from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah, in our modern Bibles; chapter 61:1-2; “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor”. It is interesting to note that Jesus stops midsentence and doesn’t complete the quote; “and the day of vengeance of our God”. The reason he doesn’t complete the sentence from Isaiah is that later on, Jesus would teach that the day of God’s vengeance would come, not during Jesus’ first arrival, but during his return, after going back to the Father (“The Student Bible” pg. 771).

Clarence Jordan’s telling of what happened next; “Then he closed the Bible, and handed it to the assistant minister. The eyes of everybody in the congregation were glued on him. He began by saying, ‘This very day this Scripture has become a reality in your presence.’ They all said ‘Amen’, and were amazed at the eloquent words flowing from his mouth. They whispered to one another, ‘Can this really be old Joe’s boy?’”(Cotton Patch version pgs. 24-25).

From his baptism to his time of temptation and then beginning his ministry in the synagogue, Jesus was utterly dependent upon the Holy Spirit. Pastor Robert M. Brearley Helps clarify the point of all this; “The Holy Spirit came and taught Jesus what was real: to say no to the false options and temptations in this world and yes to God’s good purposes for all people; to say no to self-glory in all its forms and yes to helping the poor and the captured of all kinds; to say no to trying to get your God to work for you and yes to working for your God with urgency and compassion…Jesus went forth in the power of the Spirit as an agent of God’s mercy to the downtrodden, and so do we” (“Feasting on the Word, year C, Volume 1 pg.288).

May the Lord continue to show us the way, as we continue to live and pray and one day we will hear Him say; Well Done! (I made a rhyme ). Sing with me: “Praise God from whom all blessings flow…” (go ahead, sing the whole thing out loud).

Pray on!

Midweek Meditation with Pastor Edith
January 28, 2026
Isaiah 1:18

My journal reading for reflection today comes from the prophet Isaiah who was known to be the “Messianic Prophet”, Dr. Henry Halley writes; ”He believed that his nation would be a nation through whom one day a great and wonderful blessing would come from God to all nations, and he was continually dreaming of the day when that great and wonderful work would be done” (Halley’s Bible Handbook 1965 edition, pg.285). We now know that great and wonderful blessing is Jesus Christ our Savior, our Messiah.

Within the context of a time (700’s BC) the Assyrian army had destroyed the Northern Kingdom of Israel, and had invaded the Southern Kingdom of Judah. Halley explains; “The grand achievement of Isaiah’s life was the deliverance of Jerusalem from the Assyrians. It was through prayer, and by his advice to king Hezekiah, and by direct miraculous intervention of God that the Assyrian army was stopped before the walls of Jerusalem…the dread Assyrian tornado was drawing ever closer and closer, but it made no difference. On with the dance. The diseased nation, instead of cleansing itself only gave more meticulous attention to the camouflage of devotion to religious services…only genuine repentance and obedience would save them” (HBH pgs. 287-289).

After admonishing the people to “Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong” (Isaiah 1:16), we come to this wonderful invitation from the Lord; “Come now, let us settle the matter, though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool” (Isaiah 1:18).

My neighborhood is currently under a deep blanket of pure white snow. I can’t think that today’s journal reading, which was probably published quite a while ago, is no mistake. That I should see a visible and tangible witness of God’s washing everything white as snow, and now am reminded by the Prophet Isaiah that repentance is the way to the washing.

I know there are many people who need to know how much God loves them, and that they don’t have to be scared to come to Him in prayer and repentance, none of us need to be hesitant. I hear God speaking even now these same words; “Come now, let us settle the matter”. I have an old chorus in my mind and am singing it as I type it, I pray it encourages you as it does me; “Lord, lay some soul upon my heart and love that soul thro’ me; And may I always do my part to win that soul for Thee”.

AMEN and Pray on!