Christian Counselor Directory - Jesus is Heaven to Me: Weekend Seed Thought

Seed Thought for this Week Sent weekly to over 100,000 Christian families and growing. Jesus is Heaven to Me  As people faith we know there is a Heaven; not what we see when we look up to the clouds or sky or when gazing at the stars but a place far removed from what we can see here on earth. Heaven is a celestial home fit for God, the angels, and the redeemed. St. Augustine called it the Heaven of Heaven created before the atmospheric space and the earth as we know it. Although we know there’s a Heaven we might wonder, what is Heaven like? Is it similar to what we experience on earth? What will we be doing in Heaven? Although there is little certainty what heaven will be like or what we will be doing, there is a veiled understanding what it might be like in Heaven. There is a song by the Lanny Wolf Trio, entitled Jesus Will Be What Makes It Heaven For Me. The people of faith know what it is like to sense the presence of God or Jesus, for they are the same. We mostly sense God’s presence during quiet time; often while reading the Scripture, spiritual books, or praying silently or vocally. This same presence can be felt when we are in church worshiping wth others. Regardless of where, how, or when we experience this heavenly phenomena we know it is real. Heaven is somewhat like this experience in the presence of God. If we love spending time in the presence of God while we are here on earth we are perfect candidates to be with God in his eternal presence without the distractions of daily life. Here’s another thought about Heaven: Regardless of our interpretation of the written Word of God it has been cherished by the people of faith in all ages. Yet, the written Word carries with it some ambiguity in which the Apostle Paul wrote that we see through a glass, darkly but then (speaking of Heaven) we will know even as we are known and shall see God face to face. Paul is saying that the precise meanings of the spiritual life in the written Word are often illusive; yet when we get to Heaven we will look upon the face of the Eternal Word and learn about Him. There will be no written Word of God in Heaven. In the Heaven of Heaven when we look at Jesus we will be looking at the Word of God. It will be somewhat the same experience when we are reading his written Word yet more enlivened when we see something new about the Eternal Word in celestial bliss. Augustine wrote that the Heaven of Heaven reserved for the angels and the redeemed, will be a place where we will have no need to gain the knowledge of the Word of God by reading it. For the angels and the redeemed will always behold his face and read the Word, without any syllabus in time, they understand what the Eternal Will intends. They are always reading and what they read will never pass away.  Listen to Our Devotional Podcast New Postings Each Week  Nine Fruits of the Vine and Five Little Foxes Resource for Personal Devotions, Discussion Groups, Bible Studies   Seed Thoughts Sponsored by: Christian Counselor Directory

Earth Care Devotion for Third Sunday in Lent

March 12, 2023 By Courtney Bowen   John 4:5-42               “Living water” does not describe our water.  Water in many places, thanks to pollution and runoff, cannot support life at all.  It’s the opposite of living water.  It’s deadly water.             Jesus says to the woman of Samaria, “If you knew the gift of God … you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”  Do we know a gift from God when it’s in front of us?  Do we, like the woman, fail to recognize it?             We have not well-tended to the gift from God of water.  But, we are not without hope.  Change is possible.              Initially, the woman is confused and mocks Jesus (“Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob?”).  Yet, the woman is able to move forward, see more clearly, and even asks Jesus for this “living water.” Jesus proceeds to tell her everything she’s ever done.  There’s no mention of sin or judgment of those actions.  There is only the revelation that Jesus knows her entirely.  And in being known by Jesus, the woman begins to understand who he is - the Messiah.  It is in knowing Jesus and being known by Jesus, that the woman experiences the life-giving gift, the living water of Christ. She is changed and rushes to the village to share the good news with others.             How might we be changed by Christ?  In knowing him and being known by him, might we be more cognizant of gifts from God?  Might that knowing, that relationship, change how we live and treat God’s gifts - not turning them deadly, but ensuring that we and others may experience that “spring of water gushing up to eternal life?”   Prayer God of Living Waters, help us to know you, and in that knowing become channels of your gifts to the world. Amen.   Courtney Bowen is Associate Pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Jackson, TN (a certified Earth Care Congregation of the PCUSA).    Please consider promoting the PEC devotions in your church and consider using them in sermon preparation and teaching lectionary Bible groups. The Lenten Devotional was made possible by the volunteers contributing their devotions as well as financial donations that covered the cost of recruiting contributors, editing, laying out, web posting and promotion online, by email and social media.  Your donation towards our work is needed and appreciated.  You can give online through our secure website presbyearthcare.org/giving or by mail to PEC Treasurer, P.O. Box 8041, Prairie Village, KS 66208.

Copyright © 2023 Presbyterians for Earth Care, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you are a member of Presbyterians for Earth Care, or because you opted to join our email list. Our mailing address is: Presbyterians for Earth Care P.O. Box 8041 Prairie Village, KS 66208

Earth Care Devotion for Ash Wednesday

February 22, 2023 By Paul Galbreath   “Remember you are earth and earth you shall become.” These words taken from the creation story in Genesis 3 accompany the action of being marked by the sign of the cross on Ash Wednesday.  It is a way to remind us of our limits – these days of our lives that we share on this fragile planet.  This day invites us to look at ourselves as part of the earth, taken from the ground, breathed into life by the gift of air, and returned to the earth.  The season of Lent invites us on a journey to reconnect with the earth.  It is a chance to no longer look at ourselves apart from the earth, but to see ourselves as deeply part of the earth, the source of our life, and the place to which we will return.  It is a challenging word and also a word of hope since our future is bound up with the future of the earth.  Caring for the earth is a way of caring for ourselves.   We are invited this Lenten season to reflect on our relationship with the earth and to choose ways to act that care for the earth.  It is a journey that we share together as we travel towards the hope of sharing resurrection life for ourselves and for all of creation.  You are asked to commit to new practices of earth care during the coming weeks – a way of building new habits that show that baptismal life includes a commitment to care for the earth as central to Christian discipleship.  For example, you may choose to focus on conserving your use of water or decide to pick up trash in a park near you each week.   Consider that your earth care practice is also a form of embodied prayer – a way to work for the healing of the earth.   Rev. Dr. Paul Galbreath’s new book, Elemental: A Journey Through Lent with the Earth, offers an intriguing, scripture-based format to bridge the gap of how people relate their own individual environmental activities to Christian faith. The Lenten Devotional was made possible by the volunteers contributing their devotions as well as financial donations that covered the cost of recruiting contributors, editing, laying out, web posting and promotion online, by email and social media.  Your donation towards our work is needed and appreciated.  You can give online through our secure website presbyearthcare.org/giving or by mail to PEC Treasurer, P.O. Box 8041, Prairie Village, KS 66208.

Copyright © 2023 Presbyterians for Earth Care, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you are a member of Presbyterians for Earth Care, or because you opted to join our email list. Our mailing address is: Presbyterians for Earth Care P.O. Box 8041 Prairie Village, KS 66208