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A Devotional Life
Psalm 146
The LORD sets the prisoners free;
8 the LORD opens the eyes of the blind.
The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down;
the LORD loves the righteous.
9 The LORD watches over the strangers;
he upholds the orphan and the widow,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
(Psalm 146:7b-9)
This is the third devotion I've written on Psalm 146 in just my short tenure at CPC and that's because the daily lectionary uses certain psalms to serve as morning and evening prayers. These psalms are meant to orient our experience and understanding of the day. And so it is in that spirit that I read the words above.
It is as if the creators of the lectionary know that not many of us get from morning to night without seeing someone imprisoned (whether physically or otherwise) or blind (and again) or bent over from the weight of the world on their soul or feeling alone and abandoned. The lectionary knows that all these terrible, sinful occurrences are just every day fodder. And so it forces us to keep coming back to this truth: The LORD is at work in these broken down places and these broken people. This is such a necessary reflection for each and every morning. Without such a reflection even the most faithful and/or the most optimistic of us will eventually have our faith and optimism eroded by the sins and troubles of this world. And once that begins to happen, once that despair is given room to creep into our souls, we will be tempted to give up all hope and forget about the Lord altogether.
But this psalm is also a humble reminder that is probably equally necessary to take with us as we walk into the world each day. There is a very real temptation to try to correct all the world's problems. There is - especially amongst the educated and able-bodied - to try to troubleshoot the problem, seek a solution, and implement the correction. And, indeed, it may very well be that we ought to do these things when and where we're able, but as we do them we're reminded to humbly acknowledge that it is - really - we who do these things, but the Lord. This reminder is further significant because once we see a problem solved - once we see someone freed from back-breaking burdens or someone else's eyes opened to hope and love - we have good cause to rejoice and praise the Lord.
What a good and wonderful thing it is to carry with us a reminder that the Lord is at work in this world and we are blessed enough to get to see this work and praise Him. To make a biblical twist on an old commercial jingle: "The best part of waking up/ Is found in Psalm 146."
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April 26, 2015
Sermon Title:
"How to Lay Down Your Life and Not Die"
Sermon Text: Acts 11:19-26
Other Text: John 10:11-18
Sermon Theme:
Only the Good Shepherd can lay down His life in the form of death. The rest of us have the difficult task of laying down our lives in the form of loving the unlovable, valuing the despised, nurturing the neglected, and trusting that whatever plans we'd otherwise have for ourselves pales in comparison to the life that Jesus Christ offers us. Living is easy; getting a life takes faith, hope, trust, and obedience.
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Music in Ministry
Center Presbyterian Church was well represented at this year's Western PA Handbell Festival which took place last weekend on the campus of Robert Morris University. We participated in the day-long event with bell choirs from western PA and Ohio. The festival included morning and afternoon rehearsal sessions, classes, and forums. The main focus of these festivals is the opportunity to ring, en-masse, under the baton of a notable conductor, and each festival provides a unique, fun, and educational experience for all participants.
  
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Upcoming Events
- CPC's Representative Nominating Committee will be filling five open spots on the Deaconate. Two of the spots are just for the remainder of this calendar year. Two of the spots go through 2016. One spot goes through 2017. Nomination forms will be posted in the bulletin for the next two Sundays and members from the RNC will be reaching out to folks individually. Please prayerfully consider if you're being called to serve your church in this capacity.
- Deacons will be meet this Sunday after church in the Parlor.
- Assistive hearing devices are available for those who might have difficulty hearing all parts of worship. These are small earbuds that are easy to use and not highly visible to others. Please ask when you come into to church and we will be happy to discreetly hook you up.
- Special Ecumenical Worship service at St. Paul AME Church (16 Ridge Avenue, Washington, PA 15301). Pastor Schooley will be participating in a special service - "The Value of God's Love" - that will feature choirs, mime groups, soloists, and more. Service is on Sunday, April 26 at 4 p.m. You are strongly encouraged to attend and help foster a spirit of Christian unity in love.
- Our preschool is holding a "Frozen Fun Super Saturday" on Saturday, April 25 for 3 - 7 year olds. The cost is $10 and the event will feature Elsa, Anna, and Spiderman present to take photos with the kids and interact with them. Food and games will also keep everyone happy. Please RSVP soon, as spots are limited.
- Peters Township Public Library is holding their annual "Taste of the Township" fundraiser on Friday, May 1st. Tickets cost $50/person. If you are interested in attending and providing a presence from Center Presbyterian Church, you can find more details here. Pastor Schooley (a book nerd) and his wife, Brianne (a "foodie"), are seriously interested in attending, so if you're going, let them know. Here's the link to use as a hyperlink on "find more details here": http://www.ptlibrary.org/events.asp
- We will have a Strawberry Festival on Sunday, May 31st from 4 p.m. - 7 p.m. Food, games, and - naturally - strawberries will abound. Mark your calendars now and please plan on attending
- Brianne Schooley will be contacting folks to volunteer for the Strawberry Festival. Please be on the look out for her requests for volunteers.
- CPC's Book Club, currently reading Anne Lamott's Help, Thanks, Wow will meet at Bob and Harriet Dilly's house, 268 Maplewood Drive, McMurray on Saturday, May 2nd at 10 a.m. for our "Brunch and Books" discussion. Please RSVP to the church or to Pastor Schooley no later than Thursday, April 30 if you plan to attend. All are welcomed!
- Intergenerational Summer Mission Trip to The Center in Baltimore, MD. There are still a few spots left for our Intergenerational Mission Trip this summer, June 13-20, to Baltimore, MD. Contact Becky ASAP if you are interested in going.
- Don't miss the opportunity to support Family Promise and help change the lives of homeless children and their families on May 16! Click on the image below to register TODAY!
- Join in the middle school group trip this summer July 19 - July 23 to Pine Springs Camp for Mission Ex! Mission Ex is for middle school youth groups designed to provide campers with all the fun elements of Pine Springs combined with a meaningful experience in missions. WE will explore what it truly means to serve Jesus and others. Highlights include team building activities, 3 days of service, evening activities like pool parties, Bible study, BIG games, camp fires, fun and challenging Praise and Worship sessions at THE BARN. Click here to find out more about Pine Springs Camp.
- Nancy and Roland Schriver have a new address: 1290 Boyce Road Apt. C-127, Upper St. Clair, PA 15241 724-949-1338.
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A Joyful Life
Now that it's finally warm, we can look back at the cold winter and laugh: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7u2NoYGH1c
Happy Birthday:
Bob Kelly April 23
Kathy DeLuca April 25
Andrew Ainsworth April 28
Kathi Spangenberg April 30
Happy Anniversary:
Nancy and Roland Schriver April 23
Barry and Michelle Miller April 25
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