The Wedding Service for Shane Rutherford II and Jenna Edwards on Wednesday, July 29, 2020

On Wednesday, July 29, I officiated the marriage of Shane Rutherford II and Jenna Edwards at Prickette's Fort State Park, West Virginia. If you're planning your wedding and need an officiant, please give me a call at 304-479-3402.

A Thought from the Word

A brief thought based on Psalm 119:93 - I won't ever forget your teachings, because you give me new life by following them.

#Pray4ppl to shine with the #LightofLife

Life Support Prayer Calendar

Dear Prayer Team Member, Light is so important to our daily living! Jesus declared himself to be the Light of Life. In all we do and say, especially when dealing with life issues and those facing decisions in moments when life is most vulnerable, we need the light of Christ to lead us. Only when our own hearts are full of the Light of Life are we able to shine that light into the lives of others and point them to choose life that is abundant and eternal.

Call to Prayer: Jesus Doesn't Triage

John 8:12 (NASB) ​ Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life."

July 26 - August 1, 2020 1. Pray to understand and know that God is all about bringing life and defeating death. Ask God to fill you with his love of life and give you boldness to advocate for children in the womb and equip others to do the same. 2. Ask God to give you light to see abortion minded women with compassion and for Him to arrange divine appointments so you may tell them how much God loves and values them and their children and lead them to the Light of Life who has the resources to meet all their needs.

May | Jun | Jul | Aug Prayer Calendar

PO Box 5239, Lancaster, PA 17606-5239 412-487-1990 Share Via: Check out PPL's website

The Lectionary Passages for Sunday, August 2, 2020 (9th Sunday after Pentecost)

The Lectionary Passages for Sunday, August 2, 2020 (9th Sunday after Pentecost): Below are NRSV translations of the lessons from the Old Testament  ( Genesis 32:22-31   or   Isaiah 55:1-5 ),  the Psalms  ( Psalm 17:1-7, 1...

A New Devotion - Simon of Cyrene

Here's a new devotion that I wrote. You can find a recording of this devotion at the bottom of the page.

Matthew 27:32-44

As they went out, they came upon a man from Cyrene named Simon; they compelled this man to carry his cross. And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. And when they had crucified him, they divided his clothes among themselves by casting lots; then they sat down there and kept watch over him. Over his head they put the charge against him, which read, "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews."

Then two bandits were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads and saying, "You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross." In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking him, saying, "He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he wants to; for he said, 'I am God's Son.'" The bandits who were crucified with him also taunted him in the same way.

Simon of Cyrene

I find the character of Simon of Cyrene fascinating. I mean, he was sort of dropped into the story as the one who carried Jesus’s cross, at least he was according to Matthew, Mark and Luke. For theological reasons, John made a point of saying that Jesus carried his cross all by himself. But that wasn’t the case with the other Evangelists; for them, Jesus had help going to Golgotha. And it was offered by a person who hadn’t been mentioned before this point and won’t be mentioned after. And even here, Matthew wrote that he was “compelled” to do it, not exactly an indication that he was moved by a higher motive. No, Simon would appear to be just an average guy who, from his perspective, was at the wrong place at the wrong time. And yet, he played an important role in an event that would be the hinge on which the history of the universe turned, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, Son of God.

And that should remind us all that great things may be done by people who are less than great, you know, people like us. Although we read about the rich and power, the world can be changed by folks who are used by God to do things that can shake the foundations. You see, because of where we happen to be at some given point in human history, we can become involved in movements that can literally change everything. We just need to put ourselves in the position to hear the call and respond to the need.

The Wedding Service for Brandon Brown and Amanda Bartholomew on Friday, July 24, 2020

On Friday, July 24, I officiated the marriage of Brandon Brown and Amanda Bartholomew in the West End Overlook, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. If you're planning your wedding and need an officiant, please give me a call at 304-479-3402.

Prayers for Our Community, Our Nation and Our World

We can offer specific daily prayers for our community, nation and world. Between Monday, July 27 and Sunday, August 2, we'll lay before God the needs listed below.

• Monday -  That we take time to honor those who died in service to our country.
• Tuesday - That all Americans value the precious gift of life in all its forms.
• Wednesday - That the government discuss ways to address the violence and hatred present within our society
• Thursday - That schools and universities would teach the truth.
• Friday - That those in business, government and media would report and reflect the goodness of God to our nation.
• Saturday - That all Americans would be prepared to give an account to Almighty God for their political and economic practices.
• Sunday - That those in positions of power might exercise their authority with humility and love.

Today in the Mission Yearbook - Prayer, guided meditation no problem for online platforms

Today in the Mission Yearbook - Prayer, guided meditation no problem for online platforms: The Spirit was present and at work during a recent virtual gathering July 28, 2020 Add prayer and guided meditation to the activities f...

A Thought from the Word

A brief thought based on Hebrews 11:1 - Faith makes us sure of what we hope for and gives us proof of what we cannot see.

Today in the Mission Yearbook - Presbyterian co-pastors ‘fill the church’ with members’ photographs during livestreamed services

Today in the Mission Yearbook - Presbyterian co-pastors ‘fill the church’ with members’ photographs during livestreamed services: Worship, prayer — and yes, committee meetings — are all doable via videoconference July 27, 2020 If people can’t join for in-person ...

#Pray4ppl to shine with the #LightofLife

Life Support Prayer Calendar

Light is so important to our daily living! Jesus declared himself to be the Light of Life. In all we do and say, especially when dealing with life issues and those facing decisions in moments when life is most vulnerable, we need the light of Christ to lead us and those tho whom we minister toward life that is abundant and eternal.

Call to Prayer: Jesus Doesn't Triage

John 8:12 (NASB) ​ Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life."

July 26 - August 1, 2020 1. Pray to understand and know that God is all about bringing life and defeating death. Ask God to fill you with his love of life and give you boldness to advocate for children in the womb and equip others to do the same. 2. Ask God to give you light to see abortion minded women with compassion and for Him to arrange divine appointments so you may tell them how much God loves and values them and their children and lead them to the Light of Life who has the resources to meet all their needs.

May | Jun | Jul | Aug Prayer Calendar

PO Box 461, Glenshaw, PA 15116 412-487-1990 Share Via: Check out PPL's website

Cove's Celebration Service - Sunday, August 6, 2017

Below is the service I led at Cove Presbyterian Church on August 6, 2017. During the summer of 2017, I preached a series of sermons entitled "Living by the Spirit." Although God has called us and filled us with the Spirit, often our lives don’t actually reflect his presence. Of course, that doesn’t stop us from talking about it and claiming to understand how to get it and even judging whether or not others have got it. This we do often and well. What we’re not so good at doing is living it, in other words, living by the Holy Spirit. And that’s what we’re going to talk about this summer, how we might demonstrate the presence of God through our lives. Using Galatians 5:22-26, we’ll consider the following topics:
✙ Those who live by the Spirit...
✙ Those who live by the Spirit demonstrate love.
✙ Those who live by the Spirit feel joy.
✙ Those who live by the Spirit work for peace.
✙ Those who live by the Spirit have patience.
✙ Those who live by the Spirit show kindness.
✙ Those who live by the Spirit practice generosity.
✙ Those who live by the Spirit understand faithfulness.
✙ Those who live by the Spirit exhibit gentleness.
✙ Those who live by the Spirit have self-control.

As with all our services, worship is intended to be a free expression of our love for God and the joy we feel when we accept that love. Of course, there are many ways for us to express that love and joy. And this service was special, because we worshiped in Marland Heights Park.

We started the service with the announcements. As the Bible entered, we sang "This is the Day that the Lord Has Made.”

Instrumental and vocal music are important to our worship. Songs give us the chance to praise God and to help focus our attention on the theme of the service. During the service, we have the opportunity to sing songs that reflect different musical styles. Since God has called into his church as individuals with a variety of tastes, this offers us the chance to display our sensitivity for our fellow worshipers and to grow in our knowledge of how we might praise God. Our first song was “Do, Lord.”

Our prayers represent our communication with God. Of course, as Paul wrote, the Holy Spirit “...intercedes for us with groans too deep for words”; therefore, God already knows our needs. Still it’s important that we put them into words, as well as the regret we feel for our sins and our thanks for all God has done for us.

During the Our Congregational Prayer, we confessed our sins and hear the assurance that we're forgiven.  We also lifted our concerns and needs to God.  We closed this prayer with The Lord’s Prayer. As we collected the offering, Janice Torance played “Everyone Ought to Know.”

God’s word is at the core of the worship service. It’s often reflected in the songs we sing and the prayers we pray. But it’s most clearly present when we read a passage from the Bible, and it’s applied to our daily living in the sermon.

This morning, the messages in this series, Living by the Spirit, are based on Galatians 5:16-26:

Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law. Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, competing against one another, envying one another.

The title of the sermon is “Old Faithful.”

Our service ended with the congregation singing "I’ve Got the Joy, Joy, Joy."

Below is the podcast of the service.