Saturday, April 11, 2009

Psalm 143

¹ O LORD, hear my prayer,
listen to my cry for mercy;
in your faithfulness and righteousness
come to my relief.

² Do not bring your servant into judgment,
for no one living is righteous before you.

³ The enemy pursues me,
he crushes me to the ground;
he makes me dwell in darkness
like those long dead.

⁴ So my spirit grows faint within me;
my heart within me is dismayed.

⁵ I remember the days of long ago;
I meditate on all your works
and consider what your hands have done.

⁶ I spread out my hands to you;
my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.
Selah

⁷ Answer me quickly, O LORD;
my spirit fails.
Do not hide your face from me
or I will be like those who go down to the pit.

⁸ Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
for to you I lift up my soul.

⁹ Rescue me from my enemies, O LORD,
for I hide myself in you.

¹⁰ Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God;
may your good Spirit
lead me on level ground.

¹¹ For your name's sake, O LORD, preserve my life;
in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble.

¹² In your unfailing love, silence my enemies;
destroy all my foes,
for I am your servant.

Reflection

This year, like all other years, I sat down to faithfully watch the Academy Awards. I love critiquing what everyone is wearing, and I was really excited to watch the rumored performance of Beyonce set to air in the middle of the awards. However, this year I was mesmerized as the Kodac Theater was transformed from a glitzy hall to a humble church affirming the cries of a young screenwriter. Dustin Lance Black won an Oscar this year for his authorship of the screenplay "Milk" written about the gay political activist Harvey Milk. This is an excerpt from his acceptance speech:

"When I was 13 years old, my beautiful mother and my father moved me from a conservative Mormon home in San Antonio, Texas to California, and I heard the story of Harvey Milk. And it gave me hope. It gave me the hope to live my life. It gave me the hope one day I could live my life openly as who I am and then maybe even I could even fall in love and one day get married. I want to thank my mom, who has always loved me for who I am even when there was pressure not to. But most of all, if Harvey had not been taken from us 30 years ago, I think he'd want me to say to all of the gay and lesbian kids out there tonight who have been told that they are less than by their churches, by the government or by their families, that you are beautiful, wonderful creatures of value and that no matter what anyone tells you, God does love you and that very soon, I promise you, you will have equal rights federally, across this great nation of ours. Thank you. Thank you. And thank you God, for giving us Harvey Milk".

The author of Psalm 143 cries tears of pain and wants for God. Dustin Lance Black also knows the pain of a wanting spirit and proclaimed the words of Psalm 143 "Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love", from the Oscar podium in his own prophetic Oscar-winning words. "You are beautiful, wonderful creatures of value and that no matter what anyone tells you, God does love you."

Rejoice today. God loves you.

Written by a PC Senior.

Today please pray for Spectrum.

Good Friday

Friday April 10, 2009

Scripture
Psalm 22

1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from the words of my groaning?

2 O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, and am not silent.

3 Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you are the praise of Israel. [a]

4 In you our fathers put their trust;
they trusted and you delivered them.

5 They cried to you and were saved;
in you they trusted and were not disappointed.

6 But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by men and despised by the people.

7 All who see me mock me;
they hurl insults, shaking their heads:

8 "He trusts in the LORD;
let the LORD rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
since he delights in him."

9 Yet you brought me out of the womb;
you made me trust in you
even at my mother's breast.

10 From birth I was cast upon you;
from my mother's womb you have been my God.

11 Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.

12 Many bulls surround me;
strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.

13 Roaring lions tearing their prey
open their mouths wide against me.

14 I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
it has melted away within me.

15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
you lay me [b] in the dust of death.

16 Dogs have surrounded me;
a band of evil men has encircled me,
they have pierced [c] my hands and my feet.

17 I can count all my bones;
people stare and gloat over me.

18 They divide my garments among them
and cast lots for my clothing.

19 But you, O LORD, be not far off;
O my Strength, come quickly to help me.

20 Deliver my life from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dogs.

21 Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
save [d] me from the horns of the wild oxen.

22 I will declare your name to my brothers;
in the congregation I will praise you.

23 You who fear the LORD, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!

24 For he has not despised or disdained
the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
but has listened to his cry for help.

25 From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
before those who fear you [e] will I fulfill my vows.

26 The poor will eat and be satisfied;
they who seek the LORD will praise him—
may your hearts live forever!

27 All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to the LORD,
and all the families of the nations
will bow down before him,

28 for dominion belongs to the LORD
and he rules over the nations.

29 All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
those who cannot keep themselves alive.

30 Posterity will serve him;
future generations will be told about the Lord.

31 They will proclaim his righteousness
to a people yet unborn—
for he has done it.

It is so great to know that God is not like humankind! With man, we can mess up once and be put out forever.

With God, we can mess up over and over and He is still there with loving, forgiving, and open arms. In this Psalm, the writer talks about the Lord not keeping record of sins, but having forgiveness. Because of this, the Lord is to be feared. This is not fear as in "OH MAN I AM SCARED OF GOD!" but a fear that is reverencing the authority and the power of God. It is having respect for the fact that no matter what we do, say or don't do and say, God is always there loving and forgiving.

In the next part the writer talks about putting hope in the Lord. What better place to put hope than in the Lord? God will never leave or forsake us. God will do what He says He will do. God will honor the cries of His children. God will... God will... God is steadfast, faithful, and just.

Thanks be to God for all the things that He has done, is doing, and will do.

Written by a PC Senior.

Today please pray for all the first year faculty and staff.

Maundy Thursday

Thursday April 9, 2009

Scripture
Mark 14:12-25
¹²On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb, Jesus' disciples asked him, "Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover?"

¹³So he sent two of his disciples, telling them, "Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. ¹⁴Say to the owner of the house he enters, 'The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?' ¹⁵He will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there."

¹⁶The disciples left, went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.

¹⁷When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve. ¹⁸While they were reclining at the table eating, he said, "I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me—one who is eating with me."

¹⁹They were saddened, and one by one they said to him, "Surely not I?"

²⁰"It is one of the Twelve," he replied, "one who dips bread into the bowl with me. ²¹The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born."

²²While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take it; this is my body."

²³Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, and they all drank from it.

²⁴"This is my blood of the^a]">[a] covenant, which is poured out for many," he said to them. ²⁵"I tell you the truth, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it anew in the kingdom of God."

In American society, a day like Maundy Thursday is not something we put a ton of focus on because it is kind of a downer. It is a stark contrast to the warm fuzzy feelings we get when we all pile into church on Christmas Eve and Easter Sunday. That is why I think it is so crucial. What makes the power of the joy of Easter stronger except actually being sad right before it so that it can be truly appreciated for the wonder that it is.
The spring of my Senior year in High School, on Maundy Thursday, I received a phone call late in the morning and my Mom told me that my grandmother had passed away. This, being my first real brush with death in my family, was a life changing moment for me.
I feel like I have a good understanding of what the friends and family of Jesus were feeling. Emptiness.
When we were in town for the funeral, we stayed in my Grandmother's house. It was a little odd and my mom shut the door to my Grandmother's bedroom because it helped the feelings of emptiness not to overcome me.
I imagine that the disciples had very similar feelings when they noticed all the things that Jesus was missing. They felt his absence in everyday things, just as you do when you lose someone you love.
Emptiness. That is what filled me as I sat in the church on this sad Thursday. The lights go out and there is soft singing from the choir. I don't know what they were singing, but it sounded like crying to me. Crying due to the death of the one person who not only did we all grow to love and honor, but the one who we were told was going to set us free and be our connection and our link to God and God's redeeming grace.
You cant just skip through Holy Week just because we all know the end of the story. You have to feel the pain. You have to feel the guilt and shame for what our people allowed to happen to Christ.
Only then can you possibly feel a fraction of the joy when he rises from the dead on Easter Sunday.


Written by a PC Junior.


Today please pray for the library staff.

Wednesday

Wednesday April 8, 2009

Scripture
Psalm 27

1 The LORD is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?

2 When evil men advance against me
to devour my flesh, [a]
when my enemies and my foes attack me,
they will stumble and fall.

3 Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then will I be confident.

4 One thing I ask of the LORD,
this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.

5 For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle
and set me high upon a rock.

6 Then my head will be exalted
above the enemies who surround me;
at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the LORD.

7 Hear my voice when I call, O LORD;
be merciful to me and answer me.

8 My heart says of you, "Seek his [b] face!"
Your face, LORD, I will seek.

9 Do not hide your face from me,
do not turn your servant away in anger;
you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
O God my Savior.

10 Though my father and mother forsake me,
the LORD will receive me.

11 Teach me your way, O LORD;
lead me in a straight path
because of my oppressors.

12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
for false witnesses rise up against me,
breathing out violence.

13 I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.

14 Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.

What does the Lord require of us? To do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God. But what do we require of the Lord?

When do you pray, and what do you pray for? If you are like most of us, you pray for the things that are important to you: health, food, material wellness, an A on a chemistry test, etc. While we should never underestimate the power of prayer, this Psalm gives us a message about what is the most important thing we should ask of our God.

v.4 “One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek God in the temple.”

The psalmist does not pray for money, romantic love, possessions, a job, or a passing grade. He prays to live for and with God. In this manner, our first priority should be to dwell in the house of the Lord, and the rest will be provided. The Psalmist mentions his enemies and obstacles, but he is not afraid. He does not ask God to strike down his enemies, because he has faith that

v. 5 “in the day of trouble God will keep me safe in God’s dwelling;
God will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock. “

We are called to have purity of heart, singleness of purpose. God gave us wonderful and beautiful things on the earth, and God wants us to enjoy them, but our first priority must be seeking the righteousness of the Lord.

In this season of Lent, let us “gaze upon the beauty of the Lord” and seek God in our everyday lives.

Written by a PC Sophomore

Today please pray for the office of academic affairs.

Tuesday

Tuesday April 7, 2009

Open this devotion in a prayer and praying to the Lord to open your heart and mind to the words you are reading and let the Holy Spirit speak to you through the scripture. In reading this passage, read it in prayer. Pray through the scripture by praying God’s words to the Lord.

Scripture

Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16 (NIV)

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress,

my God, in whom I trust."

If you make the Most High your dwelling—

even the LORD, who is my refuge-

then no harm will befall you,

no disaster will come near your tent.

For he will command his angels concerning you

to guard you in all your ways;

they will lift you up in their hands,

so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

You will tread upon the lion and the cobra;

you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

"Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him;

I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

He will call upon me, and I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble,

I will deliver him and honor him.

With long life will I satisfy him

and show him my salvation."

Each new day brings new fear. We fear war, crime, poverty, sickness, hunger, death. There is so much to be afraid of. This psalm claims the promise of the Almighty, trusting in God as a refuge and a fortress, and denying fear the power to prevail. Fear is a harmful and deceitful force. Fear causes us to pull back and limits our ability to be who God calls us to be. Fear can even keep us from God. But we are always invited into the shelter of God’s shadow. May that shelter be a refuge for you as you journey toward Jesus.

This reflection was written by a PC Senior.

Today please pray for Religious Student Organizations.

Monday, April 6, 2009

Scripture

Mark 11:12-25Jesus Clears the Temple 12The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if ithad any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves,because it was not the season for figs. 14Then he said to the tree, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." And his disciples heardhim say it. 15On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves ,16 and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. 17And as he taught them, he said, "Is it not written: 
 "'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations'[a]? But you have made it 'a den of robbers.'[b]" 18The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching. 19When evening came, they[c] went out of the city. The Withered Fig Tree 20In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. 21Peter remembered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!" 22"Have[d] faith in God," Jesus answered. 23"I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."

Reflection

What is the meaning of the curse? At first glance, one might think Jesus is merely upset with an actual tree that failed to feed Him when He was hungry. But the fig tree and its fruit play a much larger role. They are symbols of the nation of Israel and its faith. In Jeremiah 24, the people of Israel are compared to figs, both good and rotten. When Jesus cursed the fig tree, He symbolically placed acurse on Israel. The reason for the curse is straight forward. The fig tree (Israel) failed to bear fruit (faith) even though its leaves indicate it was in season (the appointed time for the coming of theMessiah). Due to its lack of fruit, the fig tree withered. Likewise, Israel's lack of faith when presented with her Messiah led to her eventual destruction.What is Good Fruit? Jesus cursed the fig tree because of its refusal to bear fruit, and inso doing, He makes it clear that He expects His followers to bear fruit as well. And not just any kind of fruit, but specifically good fruit.If Jesus expects us to bear good fruit, it's essential to know what constitutes good fruit in the first place. What is good fruit? And how do we bear it? Paul defines "good fruit" in his letters to the Galatians and the Philippians:"But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."

Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT)"May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation – those good things that are produced in your life by Jesus Christ – for this will bring much glory and praise to God."

Philippians 1:11 (NLT) Good fruit should never be confused with the world's definition of good works. Good fruit is born in the heart and blossoms outward into the world. Its only motive is Jesus Christ. But good works as defined by the world can have many motives, sometimes even evil motives. Yet, no matter how justified we feel in our own eyes, God will always measure our inner motives, never our outward deeds. Placing our trustand faith in Jesus Christ will inevitably produce the good fruits Paul mentioned in his letter to the Galatians. And when we exhibit these good fruits, the world will witness through our lives the glory that is Jesus Christ.-Britt Gillette

Written by a PC Senior

Today, please pray for Special Olympics

Sunday April 5, 2009

What is Palm Sunday?
Palm Sunday is the Sunday before Easter. The feast commemorates the
entry of Jesus into Jerusalem in the days before his crucifixion.
John 12:12-19 describes this day.
“The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that
Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went
out to meet him, shouting, ‘Hosanna!’ ‘Blessed is he who comes in the
name of the Lord!’ ‘Blessed is the King of Israel!’ Jesus found a
young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written, ‘Do not be afraid, O
Daughter of Zion; see, your king is coming seated on a donkey’s colt.’
At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus
was glorified did they realize that these things had been written
about him and that they had done these things to him. Now the crowd
that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him
from the dead continued to spread the word. Many people, because they
had heard that he had given this miraculous sign, went out to meet
him. So the Pharisees said to one another, ‘See, this is getting us
nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!’”
The crowds who gathered had doubtlessly seen and heard Jesus in
Galilee, and they welcomed the opportunity to proclaim him as the

Messiah. They used palm branches in celebration of victory.
The people felt the power of Christ and knew his presence, but soon
after, they crucified him. Paul calls us to stand up for what we
believe in 1 Timothy 6:12-16. After we acknowledge and feel the love
of Christ, where do we go from there?
After we feel God’s presence what do we do? Paul gives us insight on
how to live out our Christian walk after being touched by the hand of
God and recognized Christ as our savior.

1 Timothy 6:12-16
“Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to
which you were called when you made your good confession in the
presence of many witnesses. In the sight of God, who gives life to
everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius
Pilate made the good confession,
(this confession is when Jesus tells Pilot “the reason I was born and
came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side
of truth listens to me” John 18:38)
I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the
appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in his
own time- God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord
of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light,
whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever.
Amen.”

Jesus charges us to be consistent in our walk with the Lord and to
fight the GOOD fight of the FAITH. We are to always stand up for our
beliefs even if it is in the face of death or the face of someone you
love who might disagree. He charges us to make our confession of the
Lord “in the presence of MANY witnesses” not just the few who believe
the same things we do. He calls us to make the GOOD confession that
we should be proclaiming everyday: “Christ was born and came into the
world to testify to the truth.” We should proclaim his truth from the
mountain tops! We should never be ashamed, under any circumstances,
to tell anyone exactly what Jesus told Pilot: “[his] kingdom is not of
this world. If it were, [his] servants would [have] fought to prevent
[his] arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now [his] kingdom is from
another place” (John 18: 36). Do you proclaim his truth until he
comes again? Are you afraid of persecution? Are you living proof
that Christ was our Lord or do you praise him on Palm Sunday and then
turn your back on him the next?

Written by a PC Junior

Today, please pray for
The office of admissions