I was there to hear your borning cry;

I'll be there when you are old.

I was there the day you were baptized to see your life unfold.

I was there when you were but a child, with a faith to suit you well;

In a blaze of light you wandered off to see where demons dwell.

  -John Ylvisaker

What an amazing reality! God was there, present at our birth to hear our borning cry. Indeed, as the Psalmist reminds us: "All the days ordained for (us) were written in (God's) book before one of them came to be." (Psalm 139:16). We-each one of us-were created to be a masterpiece, God's poîema (work of art). But, in order for us to truly realize this reality, we must be born in the Spirit.

Now I don't know about you, but neither my pastor, nor my Sunday School teachers, ever told me that I was to be born in the Spirit. Like the people in Ephesus, I knew what it was to be baptized into a baptism of repentance. Raised in a good Reformed congregation, I knew about sin. But it was only later that I learned about the gift of the Spirit and the call to transformation.

Like Israel in the Valley of Dry Bones, I too needed to receive the breath of the Spirit. For me, that breath came in my valley. It was a gift born of yearning for purpose, for meaning, but most of all for God.

The evangelist John tells us: "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son..." You know the rest: "That all who should believe in him should have eternal life" (John 3:16). But there is more to the story. As early church father Tertullian reminds us: "God became who we are that we might become what God is." I get ahead of myself. First, the delight. First, the joy. First, the grace saturated embrace.

Just as any child loves to hear the story of his or her birth, so God loves for us to share in the story of his Son's birth. For in Jesus' birth, we will come to more fully understand our own birth in the Spirit and God's delight in us.

The Psalmist calls us to "delight (ourselves) in the Lord, and (God) will give (us) the desires of our heart" (Psalm 37:4).   In what do you delight? Are you ready to claim the power of the Holy Spirit that resides within you? To claim the Spirit's power can be unnerving, but it is a gift of God and the means by which we will grow up in Christ.

With joy, 

Holy Musings

1. Do you know the story of your baptism? If so, share it with a friend. If not, seek out those who will remember (even if you haven't spoken to them in years).
2. What does "birth in the Spirit" mean to you? How does scripture confirm and/or challenge your understanding?
3. What are the implications of receiving the Holy Spirit? What will this mean for your daily living?
4. Is there more learning involved? What would that entail?

Holy Habit: Remember Your Baptism

Martin Luther, who suffered from deep depression, had but one consolation: "I remember my baptism." Take some time to sit in silence that you might remember your baptism. Then reflect on the prayer below; an ancient baptismal prayer that has been said for hundreds of years over those who are about to be baptized or who are renewing their baptismal vows. Note how the first petition invites God to deliver us from our old life that has bound us to sin. The next three petitions (Open... Fill... Keep) establish a new life pattern for the nurture and growth of the disciple. And the fifth and sixth petitions direct and enable ministry (Teach... Send). The final petition (Bring) calls for the fullness of God's peace and glory. As a means of inviting these actions of God to become the rhythm of our lives, make a daily practice of the next week of saying this prayer upon waking, at meal times and upon the close of day. As you pray this prayer, allow God to direct your thoughts and to lead you into further contemplation and prayer. Don't move onto the next petition until you are ready-or until the Spirit is ready! You may also want to write the seven petitions on a small card that you can carry with you. Pray these petitions throughout the day. Be attentive and expectant to the leading the Spirit.

Deliver me, Lord,

from the way of sin and death.

Open my heart

to your grace and truth.

Fill with your holy and life-giving Spirit.

Keep me in the faith and communion of your holy Church.

Teach me to love others

in the power of the Spirit.

Send me into the world

to witness to your love.

Bring me to the fullness

of your peace and glory.

--Book of Common Prayer

Source: David de Silva, The Sacramental Life

• May Presbytery Docket
• Report of the Nominating Committee
• Report of the Stated Clerk
• Report of the Administrative Commission
• March 10, 2012 - Stated Meeting Minutes

Directions to First Presbyterian Church, Marietta: CLICK HERE!  

(enter starting destination in "A")  

Questions/Concerns?

Contact Shauna - 330.339.5515 or Shauna@MVPJourney.org

Volunteers Needed for

2012 Upcoming Wings

Prison Parties - OH   

(Prison parties are generally from 12:30 - 3:30 on Saturday afternoons.  The only exception is the Cleveland, OH Women's facility - North East Pre-Release Center Party, and it will be Thursday night from 5:00 - 8:00 PM.)

Lorain Correctional Institution-

Cleveland, OH

Men's prison

 June 16, 2012- Saturday               

Volunteer deadline:  May 16

SW of Cleveland

 Chaplain Louis Pollard

 2075 Avon Belden Rd

 Grafton, OH 44044-980

 440-748-1049 x342

Women's North East Pre-Release Center -

Cleveland, OH

June 21, 2012 - Thursday               

Volunteer deadline:  May 21 

In the Cleveland city limits.  

Time:  5:00 - 8:00 pm 

Chaplain James Robin Breidinger  

2675 East 30th Street

Cleveland, OH 44115

(216) 771-6460 Ext. 2608

Grafton Correctional Institution-

Cleveland, OH

Men's prison

June 23, 2013- Saturday        

Volunteer deadline:  June 1   

SW of Cleveland

Chaplain Ron Smith

2500 South Avon Belden Road

Grafton, OH 44044

440-748-5746

Southeastern Correctional Institution-

Lancaster, OH

Men's prison

Dec. 1, 2012 - Saturday         

Volunteer deadline:  Nov. 1

Please go to the following secure link and enter the data I need from you to get clearance from the prison.  Be sure to list the prison party you'd like to volunteer for on the form.  THANKS!

http://wingsministry.org/PDFfiles/VolunteerApplication.pdf