Let's Do Lent

“...a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”

(Psalm 51:17b)

Here we go again. The season of Lent is already upon us, again. And that's a good thing. I love the season of Lent.

Last year at this time I began an experiment of sorts that melded two passions of mine – photography, and devotion to God's word – into this blog I call “Picturing My Faith.” Frankly, I was surprised at the impact that this blog had on me personally, and on so many of you who took time to read my devotions. It made such an impact on me that I decided to continue the blog after Easter (though not on a daily basis – whew!, it was a challenge to write something every day during Lent!).

Photography has given me a unique lens (pun intended) through which to view the world from the perspective of faith. When I take pictures of the everyday, ordinary things we encounter in the world around us, something stirs within me. I am moved by what I see in the photos, because with each picture I discover amazing new things about God, and myself, and the world in which we live. My photography has been God's gift to me, to help me see things anew and afresh, and to appreciate God all the more.

I write this blog because I want to share my amazement at God and God's world with you.

So let's do Lent together. This year instead of sharing stories and devotions with you, I have chosen to use my photography as the springboard for daily prayer. So, technically, I won't be talking to you in my blogs – I will be talking to God. But I invite you to listen in on my conversations. Just so you know, my prayers are pretty basic – I thank God a lot, I pray for help, and I stand in awe of God's majesty, glory, and grace. Or as Anne Lamott wrote, the three essential prayers are “Help,” “Thanks,” and “Wow.” Most of my prayers will probably fall into one of those three categories.

Prayer is also listening to God. So sometimes my prayers may simply be words from Scripture that I (we) need to hear.

Let's do Lent. Let's take advantage of the forty days between Ash Wednesday and Easter (not counting Sundays) to recognize our need for salvation, to anticipate the amazing love Jesus shows to us on the cross, and to try to understand what it means to rely fully upon God for life – true, abundant, eternal life.

Let's do Lent.

Let us pray...

P.S. If you want to receive these posts in your email, you can put your email address in the box at the upper right hand side of this page. Some email filters think it's spam (maybe they're right!), so you might want to check there if you aren't getting the daily emails. I also share them on Facebook, so you can click on the link there, too.

On Being Faithful

“Who then is the faithful and wise servant...?” Matthew 24:45

“Will you be a faithful teaching elder, proclaiming the good news in Word and Sacrament, teaching faith and caring for people?”Ordination Vow #9, Book of Order, Presbyterian Church (USA)

It's been a busy season in my life. I ended 2017 by concluding my time as the pastor of the Georgetown Presbyterian Church in Georgetown, South Carolina. It was tearful good-bye to a wonderful congregation full of people who loved and nurtured the Wilkins family for over 12 years. The people God put in my life during those years will forever remain precious in my heart.

January not only ushered in a new year, but also a new call in ministry. We packed up our house in Georgetown (no small feat, I assure you), loaded up the moving van, and made the three-hour journey up the road to Clinton, North Carolina, where I am now serving as the pastor of the Graves Memorial Presbyterian Church. The move itself was a major task – and probably will be referenced at some point in a blog later on. But after four weeks, we are unpacked, organized (somewhat), and jumping full steam ahead into the busy life of the church and our new town. In the short time we have been in Clinton, we have already come to love this new congregation. From the get-go, we have been embraced by our new congregation with warmth and kindness.

On Sunday, February 4, I was “installed” as the pastor. That's church-speak for “I was made official” by our Presbytery (our regional governing body). The installation took place in a worship service on a rainy afternoon, but no amount of rain could dampen the mood that we felt that day. The handbell choir had put in extra time practicing for the service. The choir had rehearsed a special anthem that had been written by our music directors as a commissioning hymn (full disclosure: they had written it for another occasion a few years ago, but it served very well for my installation). Guests from the Presbytery came to celebrate with us. A friend and colleague gave an excellent and inspiring sermon. And the women of the church put together a beautiful reception with an amazing spread of food.

The installation portion of the worship service consisted of several questions to which I must provide an affirmative answer, as well as a few questions to the congregation seeking their affirmation, as well. It's a kind of marriage ceremony, if you will – we promise to be together as pastor and congregation through all seasons and circumstances.

The last question I was asked was, 

“Will you be a faithful teaching elder (Presby-speak for pastor), proclaiming the good news in Word and Sacrament, teaching faith and caring for people? Will you be active in government and discipline, serving in the councils of the church; and in your ministry will you try to show the love and justice of Jesus Christ?”

Will you be a faithful teaching elder... proclaiming good news... teaching faith... caring for people... Will you try to show the love and justice of Jesus Christ? This is where the rubber meets the road for me in ministry – faithfulness in all things for the sake of manifesting Jesus Christ.

Faithfulness has always been a special goal of mine. I long ago gave up perfection. I long ago decided that I didn't need to be the most popular or charismatic pastor. I settled for faithfulness.

Actually, faithfulness is not something for which we are content to settle. Faithfulness is a daily striving to live into the claims of the gospel. Faithfulness is pouring myself into everything God calls me to be and do. Faithfulness is being available, and present. Faithfulness is demonstrating that the trust given to me by my congregation and my Lord is not given in vain.

I want to be faithful, because I have been loved. I have been loved by God, and I have been loved by the people I have served as a pastor – from Cleveland, North Carolina, to Midland, Texas, to Georgetown, South Carolina, and now in Clinton, North Carolina.

When Jesus asks, “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants of his household to give them their food at the proper time?”, I want from the depth of my heart for Jesus to be able to look at me and say that I answered that question in the affirmative through my life and ministry.

At the installation service, an elder from the Presbytery gave the charge to the pastor. She referenced the passage at the end of the Gospel According to John, where Jesus says to Peter, “Feed my lambs... Take care of my sheep... feed my sheep.” If I am faithful in ministry, I will feed the sheep with whom God has entrusted me. Even more, if I feed the sheep entrusted to me, I will be faithful.

Lord, help me to be the faithful and wise servant. Help me to feed your sheep. Help me to love your sheep. Help me to be faithful. Amen.

Sunset, Sunrise

“I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now.”- Philippians 1:3-5 

“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”- Lamentations 3:21-23

I take a lot of pictures of sunsets and sunrises. The sky is transformed in the moments preceding and just after the sun sets in the evening, and rises in the morning. Beautiful shades of red, orange, yellow, purple appear out of nowhere, fanning out across the horizon. They are, truly, brushstrokes of the Divine Artist. Each day provides a new canvas for God to display God's amazing glory.

It's not just the beauty of the sunsets and sunrises that captivates me. It's also the joy, gratitude, and hope that stir within me as I witness God's glory unfolding before me. At the end of the day, when I watch the sun set over the bay, or behind the spanish-moss in a grove of cypress and live oaks, my heart wells up with gratitude for God's goodness and mercy. I find myself overcome with appreciation for another day in which God has been good to me, and granted me grace and life. Likewise, at the beginning of a new day, as I scan the horizon and see the darkness transform into beautiful daylight, I am filled with hope and optimism for the day that awaits me; I am inspired by God's glory to offer myself anew unto God's service.

I mention these things because I am currently experiencing a sunset and a sunrise in my vocation as a pastor. After nearly 12 ½ years of service as the pastor of the Georgetown Presbyterian Church, the sun has set on my tenure with that amazing congregation. And likewise, the sun is rising on the new church God is calling me to serve, the Graves Memorial Presbyterian Church in Clinton, North Carolina. Much like my experience of the sunsets and sunrises I photograph on a regular basis, my heart is full of gratitude and hope as I pass through this particular sunset and sunrise in my vocation.

The apostle Paul wrote lovingly to the Philippians, “I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now.” That is, truly, how I feel as I reflect on my time in Georgetown. My family and I have been on the receiving end of incredible love and kindness from the people of Georgetown Presbyterian Church. We have discovered the riches of grace, we have grown together in faith, we have experienced joy and gladness, and we have journeyed together through some very painful tragedies. Every step of the way, though, we have experienced the goodness of God together and we have sought to be faithful in administering God's grace in our everyday lives.

At the end of the day, my heart is filled to overflowing with love and gratitude. The sun may be setting, but there is so much beauty and grace to behold. I am, indeed, thankful, even if my gratitude is mingled with grief and sadness at the close of this day.

And I am also filled with hope, both for my family and me and our new church, and for Georgetown Presbyterian. I know that the setting of the sun on this particular day will be followed by an equally spectacular rising of the sun for the tomorrow that awaits us. I stand firmly alongside the writer of Lamentations who said, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; God's mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness (O Lord)!” Glory, splendor, and new mercy await us all tomorrow. There will be a beautiful new day of ministry and partnership in the gospel in Clinton, North Carolina. And there will be a beautiful new day of ministry and partnership in the gospel for the people of Georgetown Presbyterian Church. I know this, because I know that each day God gives us is full of glory and mercy and love; every day is different, to be sure, but every day brings God's goodness to us.

At the end of this day, I give thanks. I give thanks for a wonderful church family that has accompanied me through an incredible journey of faith and gospel ministry over the past 12 ½ years. I give thanks for my wife and four beautiful children (the fourth of whom we gained through marriage this year!), and for the daily demonstration of God's love that I experience through them. I give thanks to God for the opportunity to serve in Clinton, North Carolina.

But most of all, I give thanks for God's faithfulness. God's mercies are new every morning.

Really, they are.

Give Thanks

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; God's love endures forever (Psalm 106:1)

Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thess. 5:18)

Autumn. I love this time of the year. I love the changing colors (though mostly I have to go somewhere else to see the fall colors since the pine trees that are so ubiquitous to our area are pretty much always green). I love the crisp, cool, dry air. I love how the blue of the sky seems to intensify with the cooler temperatures. I love that the gatherings of friends and families that begin in November and make their way into December.

I love Thanksgiving.

In many ways, the Thanksgiving holiday is a forgotten holiday – at least commercially. The retailers jump from Halloween directly to Christmas. But that's okay, because it means that Thanksgiving is a bit of a quieter holiday. I like the quiet, because it gives us an opportunity to focus on the reason for the holiday: to give thanks to God.

Giving thanks to God is one of the most basic expressions of faith. And yet, how many of us practice it with enough regularity? How many of us start each day by thanking God for the day as a gift and an opportunity – a gift, in that it is a new day in which we have been given life; and an opportunity in that each day presents a chance for us to use the day to serve God and love God?

I recently made a search of the term “give thanks” on a Bible search engine. Of the twenty-seven times that phrase appears as an exhortation or personal commitment (e.g., “Give thanks to the Lord” or “I will give thanks to God”), the reason for giving thanks that was cited more than any other reason is this: “for his (God's) love endures forever.” Eleven of the twenty-seven times the writer exhorts us to give thanks, it is simply because of God's eternal, steadfast, unconditional love.

When you think of it, why do we need any other reason to give thanks to God? Isn't God's love enough?

You see, God's love is the source of every blessing you and I receive – blessings which, on a daily basis are far too numerous for us to count. God's love is reason for comfort in the midst of trial and tribulation. God's love is the reason for hope in the midst of despair. God's love is cause for joy and happiness. God's love is our inspiration to love – to love God, and to love our neighbor, and to love one another. God's love is the basis for our hope of eternal life.

Give thanks to the Lord for his love endures forever.

Life is so much better when gratitude informs our perspective. Start each day with gratitude. Fill each day with gratitude. End each day with gratitude.

Your life will be better for it. I promise.

Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

Light, Bread, and How We Are Fed

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

- Jesus, John 8:12 and John 6:35

Warning: Mixed metaphors ahead.

So, this past summer, we had frogs at our house. Not the kind that make a lot of noise, but tree frogs. Lots of them. Almost in biblical-plague-like numbers. Ah, but I exaggerate. Still, we had lots of frogs.

They kept appearing at night on our front porch. I would see them through our glass door. They perched on our mailbox. They clung to the bricks. They rested on our porch light. It was both cool and creepy at the same time.

This went on every night, for weeks. Only with the cooler weather have the frogs finally gone away.

One night I stayed out on the front porch for a few minutes to watch the frogs. They were as still as statues, mostly looking at the porch light. Small moths, gnats, and other night bugs were also flying around, attracted by the light. Suddenly, one of the frogs stretched its neck, opened its mouth, and gulped down a hapless moth that had just wandered into the no-fly zone. It happened in the blink of an eye.

It turns out that the light had become the feeding spot for the frogs. The frogs came to the light to be fed.

It got me to thinking: Jesus is the light of the world. Jesus is the bread of life. When we come to Jesus, we are fed for eternal life.

I told you that I was mixing my metaphors. Don't say I didn't warn you.

But really, where do you turn to nourish your soul? We are bombarded by all sorts of things that pollute and corrupt the unwitting soul every time we turn on the TV or surf the web. What do you do to provide healthy nourishment for your soul?

I think we should take a lesson from the frogs. Go to the light – to Jesus, the Light of the world. If we spend enough time in his light, we will be fed.

P.S. Don't take this metaphor too far. Because it doesn't work if you are a moth or an insect – they got eaten at the light. Focus on the frogs.

A Prayer

The thought of my affliction and my [bitterness]
    is wormwood and gall!
My soul continually thinks of it
    and is bowed down within me.
But this I call to mind,
    and therefore I have hope:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,
    his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
    “therefore I will hope in him."

- Lamentations 3:19-24, NRSV

A Prayer

Shock.

Terror.

Sickened.

Numb.

Grieving.

Confused.

Heartbroken.

Angry.

What words are there, O God, to describe how we feel?

How can we possibly wrap our minds around the slaughter in Las Vegas?

     One man and his guns.

     Over 50 dead, hundreds wounded or injured.

     A city reeling in the aftermath.

     A nation in shock, mourning, grief.

Is there no limit to the evil that people are capable of perpetrating on one another?

Can we not put a cap on the human capacity for evil?

Our hearts ache.

Our hearts groan.

But before we ask you to tend to the tumult in our hearts, O Lord, we direct your compassion and your mercy upon those whose lives have most acutely felt the wrath of this evil act:

     The families of the dead

     The injured and the wounded

     The first responders and medical professionals who must

     still perform their duties in the face of unspeakable horror

     The city of Las Vegas

     The pastors, rabbis, clerics, counselors, and caregivers

          who will be providing comfort and care

          in the days, weeks, months ahead.

In the midst of the evil and chaos, we pause to give thanks for

     the law enforcement officials who acted with speed and

          precision

     the civilians who administered care to the wounded

     the emergency personnel whose actions saved lives.

And now, O Lord, also tend to our hearts.

Grant us peace, we pray.

     Not simply absence of hostility,

     but peace in our hearts;

     peace that comes from the assurance of

          your love which is from everlasting to everlasting

          your righteousness that always prevails

          your providence by which you work all things toward

               your purpose of redemption.

Grant us peace.

Let this truth fill our hearts:

     that nothing in all of creation

     will ever be able to separate us from your love

     in Christ Jesus our Lord.

          Nothing.

          Not ever.

As a world grapples with a response to this senseless slaughter of innocent human beings, help us to show the way of Christ:

     trusting in you and your faithfulness

     manifesting your grace

     working for reconciliation and justice.

After the shock wears off

and the blame game begins

(because we know it will)

make us the voice of Christ who said,

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted...”

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled...”

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God...”

“Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you...”

“Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword...”

“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing...”

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul,

and with all your mind,

and with all your strength.

And you shall love your neighbor as yourself."

Make us the voice of Christ.

Saving God,

     All creation groans for the redemption that awaits us.

     We are groaning today, for the need for redemption

     is as great as ever.

In our groaning, we wait for you.

We look for you.

Come, Lord Jesus.

Heal us.

Comfort us.

Strengthen us.

Amen.

#AllinforWilkins!

“Love one another as I have loved you.” - JesusJohn 15:12

Full disclosure: This is a parental pride post. Please indulge me.

So, our son Stuart got married the other day, to his fiance Kate.

I'm going to write that sentence again, so you can see the delight and excitement that has filled Carol and me:

So, our son Stuart got married the other day, to his fiance Kate!!! (Insert about a million smiley-faced emojis 😊😊😊 here!)

I didn't officiate the wedding; it was my distinct privilege to be the father of the groom, and I didn't want to give up that privilege. Besides, if I had officiated, it would've taken all I had to resist doing this (turn up the volume): 

So Stuart and Kate got married, and I got to be the father of the groom.

After a week of nail-biting to see what Hurricane Irma was going to do (the wedding was in Charleston, SC – one of the preliminary paths forecasted for Irma) and then to assess the flood damage that Irma's remnants did to our wedding and reception venues (thank goodness, all was dry and clean by the end of the week), we had a wonderful celebration for Stuart and Kate.

I think every parent wants to see their parenting bear fruit in their children. Certainly Carol and I, as well as Kathy and Stan (Kate's parents) were beaming with pride as we witnessed the love that Stuart and Kate professed for one another, as well as their maturity as they affirmed their commitment to each other.

As is often the case in weddings nowadays, there was a fun theme running through the weekend celebrations. Stuart and Kate are both graduates of Clemson University, and they are avowed fans of all things Clemson. In fact, they waited as long as they could before setting the date, because they didn't want to have to compete with a Clemson home game.

As a tribute to their Clemson roots, they created a social media hashtag for the weekend: #allinforwilkins. “All in” is the rallying cry for the football team that was instituted by head coach Dabo Swinney. They even had a friend design a koozie with a New Mexico / South Carolina emblem (they live in NM, but are from SC), and the hashtag, #allinforwilkins.

All in. It is a simple two-word phrase, but it denotes 100% commitment. Coach Swinney expects it of every person associated with the football program, and he asks the students and alumni and fans to be “all in” for the team. All in. It's an attitude that has played a major role in the spirit and success of the national championship football program.

But alas, I stray. Back to the wedding. Where was I?

Oh yeah: All in. #allinforwilkins. Truly, everyone who attended the wedding and festivities were all in for Stuart and Kate. And of course Stuart and Kate are all in for each other.

“All in,” it turns out, is a perfect theme for a marriage. Because in marriage husband and wife declare their unconditional love for one another, and they promise their undying commitment to one another and to their family. All in.

Jesus told his disciples, “Love one another as I have loved you.” In fact, he said that to his disciples twice on the last night he was with his disciples. The second time Jesus said it (John 15:12), he follows the command with this observation: “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.” Sounds like an all-in kind of love that Jesus commands of us, doesn't it?

Marriage is an all-in proposition. Husband and wife giving themselves for the sake of the other, and for their family. All in...

...The other day, a church member was reflecting on being married for 52 years. She said, “Marriage doesn't take two; it takes three.” What she meant was, for marriage to be as abundantly blessed as God intends it to be, it takes husband, and wife, and Jesus. Marriage takes three.

I agree. So just as husband and wife need to be all in for each other, so should their life together be lived all in for Jesus. Marriage is not just for the benefit of the husband, wife, and family; it is also for the glory of God.

All in. I'd say it's a winning formula – for Clemson football, for life, for marriage, for faith. All in is win-win.

Photo credit: David Wilkins

#allinforwilkins!