Church Office open Monday-Friday 8.00am to 12.00 noon - Telephone 717 935 2513
Sunday School: 9.30am on Sunday mornings. Worship service: 10.30am on Sunday mornings. All are welcome
Pastor: Alan Kauffman
Ministers: All members of Maple Grove
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Maple Grove Mennonite Church Church Office open Monday-Friday 8.00am to 12.00 noon - Telephone 717 935 2513 Sunday School: 9.30am on Sunday mornings. Worship service: 10.30am on Sunday mornings. All are welcome Pastor: Alan Kauffman Ministers: All members of Maple Grove |
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The season of Lent begins this coming Wednesday, with Ash Wednesday and continues until Easter. The Christian observance of Lent began in the third century as a time to prepare candidates for baptism at Easter. It was an imitation of Jesus, who spent 40 days in the wilderness before beginning His earthly ministry. Today, Christians devote 40 days (excluding Sundays), often focusing more intentionally on spiritual disciplines and caring for others. Often this means needing to give something up to create space for something better. This year, the Worship Committee decided that rather than invest lots of planning into our Sunday morning services, we would give some direction to our weekly/daily times with God and provide some structured guidance for that.
So starting next Sunday, and continuing each week through Lent, there will be an insert in the bulletin that will give some daily direction to prayer and Bible reading. Each week will have a theme, inviting us to go deeper into some aspect of our life. We trust this will be a meaningful journey for our congregation. Following is a prayer I found that can help us prepare for the season of Lent: It is customary, Lord to give something up during the season of Lent. What would you have me do without? I who have so much. Chocolate? Cream cakes? Cigarettes? Sweets? Swearing? The list is endless and I could give up all those things for the span of 40 days quite easily and almost painlessly. But what difference would it make other than making me feel 'holier' than my friend who makes no such sacrifice or it becoming really more about me instead of You? What would you have me do without? I who have so much. Selfishness? Conceit? Envy? Pride? I fear before I ask, that the answer might be 'yes' and the giving up would be all too real, Lord. It would be difficult, painful, sacrificial, a real cross to carry for 40 days, . . . . .and more? - Alan Kauffman on behalf of the Worship Committee Devotional material will be uploaded each week during Lent. The first one will be available on Wednesday 17th March, the first day of Lent. WEEK 7 - MARCH 29 - April 4, 2021 This is an emotional rollercoaster kind of week in the life of Jesus. What began with a waving of Hallelujah palm branches quickly shifts to a mob of "Crucify Him!" Woven in the fabric of wonderful teaching moments and Passover celebration are threads of resistance, scheming, betrayal, denial and death. When life is a mix of unpredictable ups-and-downs for you (as it has been for many the past 12 months), where do you find hope? Even in the face of suffering and death, as Jesus prayed in the Garden, Jesus placed His hope in God, "not my will, but yours be done." God's will, though not always perfectly clear, is always a true and reliable source of hope. THOUGHT FOR EACH DAY: Faith is confidence in what we hope for and being sure about what we do not yet see. Thus our hope increases in proportion to the trustworthiness of the one we have confidence in. Failure is ultimately assured if our hope is in anyone/thing other than God, who is always faithful. SCRIPTURE READING FOR EACH DAY: 1 Peter 1:3-12 DAILY PRAYER SUGGESTIONS: MONDAY: As we face an unknown future, hope grows as we see how God has been faithful in the past. Take time in prayer, thanking God for specific ways He has been faithful in the course of your life. TUESDAY: Hope and wait are often interchangeable in scripture. Pray for somebody close to you who is waiting for something important. WEDNESDAY: Sometimes we can become an answer to someone's prayer, thus helping them grow in hope. Pray that you would be sensitive to God's nudging today to those living around you and respond in obedience, no matter how absurd it may seem. THURSDAY: Today is Maundy Thursday. Maundy comes from the Latin word "command", referring to Jesus' new command to "love others as Jesus loved us." Pray for ways you are hoping the church will live this command. FRIDAY: Today is Good Friday. It can only be called "good" by those who have radical hope. Pray with radical hope for our world today. SATURDAY: What in your life needs resurrection? Pray with hope. For the God who raised Jesus from the dead listens and cares and is still as powerful. SUNDAY PRAYER: These times are frightening, Lord. Headlines daily deliver troubling news. If we dwell there, God, we will lose all hope. Thank You for Your protection and the promises we have in Your word. Nothing can separate us from Your love and the victory achieved by Christ at the cross. He is our hope and ever present help in trouble. We have no need to fear. You will never leave nor forsake Your own! Thank You, God!! BLESSING FOR EACH DAY: Go forth with renewed hope, trusting in the transforming love of God. With God, all things are made new, the world is alive with possibility. So hope! Live each day believing this truth; what we see is not all that can be! Nothing is beyond the reach of God; neither evil, nor hardship, nor death. For Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! FINAL THOUGHT FOR EACH DAY: (Take a few moments to quietly reflect on what God's Spirit may be saying to your spirit.) Holy Week and Easter, like life itself, is a series of highs and lows, successes and failures, obedience and sinning. But don't give up! Never give up hope when God is involved. Be a believer in hope today. Be a beacon of hope today. WEEK 6 - MARCH 22 - 28, 2021 As the first of spring flowers begin to emerge, this is a perfect time to spend a week reflecting on growth. For plants to grow and produce blooms/fruit, they need some type of rootedness. For Christians, one metaphor for us is that Jesus is the rooted vine and we are the branches. Jesus is the reason for our growth. Hopefully, as we enter week 6, we are finding the benefits that come in staying connected to the life-giving source of Jesus through prayer, reading, reflecting and noticing Jesus in our neighbors and church family. THOUGHT FOR EACH DAY: God desires growth and fruit from our lives. Healthy plants bear fruit. Many factors contribute to a plant's ability to bear fruit. For growth and producing fruit as Christians, Jesus tells us of the one necessary factor - we must stay connected to Jesus. SCRIPTURE READING FOR EACH DAY: John 15:1-8 DAILY PRAYER SUGGESTIONS: MONDAY: Bible reading, prayer, other Christians, worship, Christian programming.... There are many ways easily accessible to us so that we can stay connected to Jesus. Which one or two are most important to you? Praise God for the ways that are available for you to stay connected to Jesus. TUESDAY: Pray for someone dear to you who needs Jesus. Pray without ceasing! WEDNESDAY: Pray for God to show you ways that your fruitfulness can be shared with your neighbors and community. THURSDAY: In their own ways, Ministerial Team, Council and Worship Committee, song leaders, worship leaders and others contribute to providing opportunities for us at Maple Grove to experience Jesus. Pray for these groups today. FRIDAY: Pray that the percentage of Christians in the world would continue to grow and that those who are already Christians would be fruitful. SATURDAY: Are you satisfied with your growth as a Christian this past year? If so, praise God for your growth. If not, what might be needed to be more connected to Jesus and more fruit bearing? Pray and act. SUNDAY PRAYER: God of harvest, Gardener supreme You plant us, feed us, equip us and having provided for us, You look for a harvest: a fruitfulness in service to You and others. God of harvest, Gardener supreme feed us, prune us, grow us more so the harvest or our lives bring glory to You. BLESSING FOR EACH DAY: You were meant to grow, so go grow! Don't be satisfied to be an artificial plant. Resist the temptation to be an ornamental tree or a fig tree that never bears figs. Stay connected to Jesus and bear an abundant crop of fruit that you were created to bear. And as you do, may the joy of Jesus be in you and may that joy be complete! FINAL THOUGHT FOR EACH DAY: (Take a few moments to quietly reflect on what God's Spirit may be saying to your spirit.) Evidence of fruit bearing is not only in our actions, but also reflected in our attitudes. Our attitudes might best be described by the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Pick one of these today that need the most work and be aware of its presence or lack of presence throughout your day. Staying connected to Jesus is the key! Don't give up! WEEK 5 - MARCH 15 - 21, 2021 We are more than halfway now. Athletes and other disciplines are likely aware of what is known as muscle memory. A repetitiveness of certain movements that eventually become instinctive or second nature. May this Lenten journey create a kind of spiritual muscle memory within you so that praying for yourself, your loved ones, neighbors, Maple Grove and the world become instinctive as you move throughout your days. This week provides ample chances as we all need healing in some way. THOUGHT FOR EACH DAY: Life wounds us in many ways. God's desire is that we be healed, wholly healed in body, mind and spirit. While we may not always be healed in the specific ways we desire, there is healing available for us. We shall be made whole, if not in this life then in eternity. SCRIPTURE READING FOR EACH DAY: Psalm 103 DAILY PRAYER SUGGESTIONS: MONDAY: Pick at least 2 things from Psalm 103 and take time to thoroughly praise God for specific ways it has been true in your walk with God. TUESDAY: Pray for someone dear to you who is needing healing in some form. WEDNESDAY: The need for healing is not always obvious. Listen closely to conversations you have with others today and then take it to the Lord in prayer. THURSDAY: Pray for somebody at Maple Grove today who has recently suffered in some way. FRIDAY: Covid has wreaked havoc in our world the past 12 months. Pray for healing of whatever aspect of this comes to mind. SATURDAY: What about you? If there is one area of your life most in need of healing, what might that be? Pray believing God cares and wants you whole. SUNDAY PRAYER: For those weighed down by ill health, bring wholeness to body, mind and spirit. For those weighed down by worry, bring wisdom, peace and reassurance. For those weighed down by fear, bring freedom, release and liberation. For those weighed down by sadness, bring comfort, strength and joy. For those who need your healing in any way, we come to You in hope and trust. BLESSING FOR EACH DAY: May God, out of his glorious riches, strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. May you be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God, who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us. FINAL THOUGHT FOR EACH DAY: (Take a few moments to quietly reflect on what God's Spirit may be saying to your spirit.) None of us are completely whole. What can I do for myself or others today to make room for God's healing? WEEK 4 - MARCH 8 - 14, 2021 Research suggests that it takes 21 days to develop some life changing patterns. We will pass the 21 day mark this week. If you have been sticking with our devotional guide each day, God may be doing a work in you to reshape you in ways that you are not even aware of. If you have not been able to keep pace with this daily guide, again, don't give up. Commit to what you can; do what you can as you desire more of God. That is where wisdom (the theme of this week) comes from. THOUGHT FOR EACH DAY: God's foolishness is wiser than our wisdom. God's irrefutable evidence of this is the cross. SCRIPTURE READING FOR EACH DAY: 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 DAILY PRAYER SUGGESTIONS: MONDAY: God's scriptures give us a glimpse into God's vast wisdom and provides guidance into making wise daily decisions. Think of a few verses that are life guides for you and thank God for those verses. TUESDAY: Pray for someone dear to you who is needing to make a decision. Pray that they may hear and follow God's wisdom for them. WEDNESDAY: Pray for patience, kindness and grace when relating to people in your neighborhood and communities who appear to be making foolish choices. THURSDAY: Pray for wisdom for Maple Grove as we work at Mission Visioning and as the Search Committee begins their work. FRIDAY: Our country and world is torn apart by different versions of "truth". Pray in specific ways for God's wisdom to prevail. SATURDAY: You do not have all the answers! Pray for a greater understanding of God's wisdom in your life. Then listen! SUNDAY: God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time; enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; trusting that He will make things right if I surrender to His Will; so that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him forever and ever. Amen. BLESSING FOR EACH DAY: As you seek the world's wisdom, may you be frustrated. As you humbly seek God's wisdom, may you find it and the pleasure it gives in knowing you are closer to home. FINAL THOUGHT FOR EACH DAY: (Take a few moments to quietly reflect on what God's Spirit may be saying to your spirit.) What might I do today when I am tempted to trust in the world's wisdom? (Thinking ahead) What one step can I implement in my life to make my search for God's wisdom more intentional? WEEK 3 - MARCH 1 - 7, 2021 This begins our second full week of Lent. What has God been trying to impress up you? What have you heard? Learned? What have been the most consistent distractions or reasons for staying where you are, rather than doing deeper? Be honest with yourself, since God already knows the answers to these questions! Don't expect to have a revelation from heaven every day. It is taking the time to be with God that's important. Like taking time with a friend is important, even if nothing earth shattering is shared. Remember, our reason to give something up is to gain something even better. Hopefully by now, you are beginning to develop a rhythm and perhaps a favorite time of the day to spend time with this, perhaps a rhythm you will continue beyond Lent, if you have not been doing so before this. We hope you enjoy this Lenten/Easter time with God. THOUGHT FOR EACH DAY: The amount of time and energy and resources that I am willing to put into something is usually directly proportional to what I get out of it. This is true even in my walk with Jesus. SCRIPTURE READING FOR EACH DAY: Mark 8:31-38 DAILY PRAYER SUGGESTIONS: MONDAY - For your prayer today, think about or look up a song that talks about the cross and pray the lyrics. As an alternative, pray a prayer of thanks for Jesus' willingness to go to the cross for you. TUESDAY - Pray for someone dear to you who is carrying an unusually heavy burden right now. WEDNESDAY - Pray that somebody in your neighborhood or community might be drawn closer to Jesus today from seeing your commitment to Jesus. THURSDAY - Pray that God would show you ways that God may want you to be more involved in God's Kingdom work at Maple Grove. And offer to be used in those ways. FRIDAY - Pray for those who may be tempted to leave the faith because of some hard situations they are dealing with. SATURDAY - Pray that God would reveal to you an area in your life that God wants you to commit in a deeper way to Him. SUNDAY - God, it's been said, when the going gets tough the tough get going. God, that is so easy to say, but it might be easier to take the easy way out, easier to play it safe and live to fight another day. Like Peter, who loved you with such a passion, was filled with such energy, who was so quick to speak. Peter was so quick to say "YES", when he was with you. But when his faith was seriously challenged, when the road to following you became dangerous, he chose the easier road of denial. You knew Peter, knew what he was made of, what would happen before the cock crowed. But it didn't stop you choosing him, naming him "Rock". There is comfort for us, Lord, in Peter's frailty, reassurance that your love and confidence extends to both strong and frail, as you look to our potential, and in your love forget our momentary weaknesses. BLESSING FOR EACH DAY: May the blessings you experience in following God wherever He leads far outweigh the grand illusions you have of staying put! May you truly experience that God's yoke is easier and His burden is lighter than anything the world has for you. FINAL THOUGHT FOR EACH DAY: (Take a few moments to quietly reflect on what God's Spirit may be saying to your spirit.) What one thing, the next thing you can lose in order to gain more of what God has for you? WEEK 2 - FEBRUARY 22 - 28, 2021 Lent is typically a time of the year when we choose to give something up. Our purpose for giving something up is to gain something even better. You may have to give something up in order to use this devotional guide during Lent and Easter. We hope you do. Pay attention to the who or the what that "takes a seat" in your thoughts each day and consider what God may be trying to teach you or ask of you. Each week's guide will contain (to be read every day): 1. A thought for the week; 2. A scripture for the week; 3. A blessing for the week; 4. A closing thought/action prompt for the week; and each day will have a specific prayer directive. (Each week, Sunday's prayer will be a prayer someone else has written.) We hope the repetitive nature of this guide helps to drive the words deeper into your spirit. This guide is designed to be used every day. However, don't quit if you are not able to use it every day. If you can only use this 3-4 times a week or less, you can include the daily prayer directives from other days you missed so you are still praying for each thing every week. We hope you enjoy this Lenten/Easter time with God. THOUGHT FOR EVERY DAY THIS WEEK: Our relationship with God establishes who we truly are and becomes foundational in our interactions with others and the world. Knowing we are loved by God, no matter what, allows us to be secure in who we are and to extend love to others. SCRIPTURE READING FOR EVERY DAY THIS WEEK: Mark 1:9-15 DAILY PRAYER SUGGESTIONS: MONDAY - If you are a Christian, pray a prayer of praise for the peace and joy and all of the benefits the come from your relationship with God. If you are not a Christian, consider asking God to reveal Himself to you today and this week. TUESDAY - Pray whatever prayer is needed most for the relationships you have with those most dear to you. WEDNESDAY - Pray for and be alert for any opportunities God provides today to relate to somebody in your neighborhood or community on a deeper level. THURSDAY - Pray for a spirit of relational unity in our church at Maple Grove and for the church around the world - that we may be one. FRIDAY - Many relationships in this world are broken. People are divided. Pray for some of the relationships that you believe need restored in our world. SATURDAY - Pray for those relationships that have been altered in your life or the lives of others, due to death, divorce, distance or other factors. SUNDAY - Break down the hardness in our hearts, Lord, the wall that insulates us from the world, the wall that stops us feeling others' pain. Break down the hardness in our hearts, Lord, so we might see and touch this world with your love, and through your grace, transform its pain to joy. Break down the hardness in our hearts, Lord, so that we may have deeper relationships with you and with others. BLESSING FOR EVERY DAY THIS WEEK: You are a beautiful creation of God. God loves you as you are! Not for what you have done or not done; but simply because of who you are. Be God's beloved creation to the rest of His world today! FINAL THOUGHT FOR EACH DAY: (Take a few moments to quietly reflect on what God's Spirit may be saying to your spirit.) What is the one thing I plan to do today relationally in response to God's unconditional love for me? What does love require of me? (This need not be earth shattering, but may be one simple thing.) WEEK 1 - FEBRUARY 17 - 21, 2021 Lent is typically a time of the year when we choose to give something up. Our purpose for giving something up is to gain something even better. You may have to give something up in order to use this devotional guide during Lent and Easter. We hope you do. Pay attention to the who or the what that 'takes a seat' in your thoughts each day and consider what God may be trying to teach you or ask of you. Each week's guide will contain (to be read every day): 1. A thought for the week; 2. A scripture for the week; 3. A blessing for the week; 4. A closing thought/action prompt for the week; and each day will have a specific prayer directive. (Each week, Sunday's prayer will be a prayer someone else has written.) We hope the repetitive nature of this guide helps to drive the words deeper into your spirit. This guide is designed to be used every day. However, don't quit if you are not able to use it every day. If you can only use this 3-4 times a week or less, you can include the daily prayer directives from other days you missed so you are still praying for each thing every week. We hope you enjoy this Lenten/Easter time with God. THOUGHT FOR EVERY DAY THIS WEEK: We have been created from dust and will one day return to dust. We come into the world with nothing and leave the same way. These thoughts can depress us or motivate us to make the most of our time on earth. Things like beauty and strength and happiness are fleeting. Invest the moments God gives you in what truly lasts. Everyone will die, but not everyone will truly live. SCRIPTURE READING FOR EVERY DAY THIS WEEK: Psalm 90:1-12 DAILY PRAYER SUGGESTIONS: WEDNESDAY - Today is Ash Wednesday. A day we reflect on our mortality. Offer a prayer of thanks to God for giving you today. THURSDAY - The death of a loved one creates a hole of grief that nobody can fill. Pray for those in your life and neighborhood who are experiencing this loss. FRIDAY - Pray that Maple Grove and the church around the world can be a place where people can experience abundant life. SATURDAY - Pray for those around the world for whom the choice is their life or their faith in Jesus. SUNDAY PRAYER- May this not just be 'another day' but one where, as I open the door to what is an orchestra of bird song in this beautiful, if fragile world, that somehow I connect with you, who gifted us this temporary home, and yet still daily walks with us even when we think we're alone. For such gracious and enduring love we offer this, our heartfelt thanks. BLESSING FOR EVERY DAY THIS WEEK: May you be blessed so that you would wake before you die! God has given you today. Experience the lavish gift God has given you of your 86,400 seconds to spend today. Don't spend carelessly. Don't be frugal. Live generously, investing in what shall outlast you and may you reap what you sow. FINAL THOUGHT FOR EACH DAY: (Take a few moments to quietly reflect on what God's Spirit may be saying to your spirit.) How do you really feel about your impending death? What is one thing you can do today to make today count? |
| Gathered to know Jesus, sent to make Jesus known | © 2019-2021 Maple Grove Mennonite Church |