Anointed

By Karen Biggs, St. John Stephen Minister

Psalm 23:

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.

He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

After my husband died, I read, re-read, memorized, and recited this beautiful psalm over and over.  It is a core passage that has given me great comfort.  It is the most famous of psalms.  Today verse 5 pings in my head: “You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.”  David, king of ancient Israel & Judah, who wrote this psalm, really did have his head anointed with oil by Samuel the prophet.  So, perhaps this line was an autobiographical record of sort.  Anointing with oil had multiple purposes over time:  it was to consecrate or make something holy (like the items in the tabernacle), used to dedicate priests into the priesthood, as a symbol of purification or appointment, to bestow honor on someone, or to use symbolically in the healing of the sick (Mark 6:13).  

All these are intriguing to me since we rarely anoint anything today.  So, why even bother exploring it?  Well, David throughout this psalm is expressing God’s loving involvement in his life.  David is astonished and follows with, “my cup runs over.”  David was the youngest of 8 brothers and a humble shepherd boy.  He wasn’t all that special by appearances, but that didn’t matter to God.  God worked mightily in David’s life.  God’s anointing of David changed everything for him, and David marveled at the lavish goodness of God.  May we also see God’s anointing in our own lives — His healing touch and the special appointment we each have in this world — and wonder at God’s extravagant blessings which overflow our cups even in the darkest of days. 

My Cup Runs Over

By Karen Biggs

You anoint my head with oil

Tho I am a noble nobody

A debtor to the n-th degree

An utterly unlikely honoree

You anoint my head with oil

So tenderly you bless me

Your hands loosen and set free

Liberty from my Judas tree

You anoint my head with oil

You send me on mission

On a love-share expedition

A Maker-human coalition.

You anoint my head with oil

Healing fire fills my veins

Your love washes and rains

Cleansing soul-soaked stains

My cup runs over

Flooded with Your favor

A Niagara grace-saver

Bubble up, brew and billow

No more the weeping willow

My cup runs over  

The Voice of the Lord

By Karen Biggs, St. John Stephen Minister

Psalm 29:3-4

“The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
The God of glory thunders;
The Lord is over many waters.

The voice of the Lord is powerful;
The voice of the Lord is full of majesty.”

In times of crisis or conundrum, I crave a word from “the voice of the Lord.”  If only we could dial Jesus-911 and hear God’s powerful voice on the other end.  But here we are, with a thicker veil between us and God than we’d prefer.  The triune God desires that we seek Them, of our own free will:  spearheading and prioritizing our spiritual walk.  We can do this through private and communal prayer, journaling, song/music/dance, nature retreats, solitude, Bible study, worship, listening to sermons/podcasts, small group connections, serving others, and more.  Spiritual practices are a way we can deepen our relationship with our loving Maker.  May God’s voice be loud in our day-to-day via the many creative ways They allow! 

Your Voice

By Karen Biggs

The clouds churn into

Nimbostratus storms

Where ashen gray drops 

Cut rivulets

Into a delta of despair

Rising waters surge —

Pounding, soaking

Flailing, gasping
Sinking

Where are You in 

this place of torment

Where air is scarce

Where life is a farce

Doubts and fears like

Lightning burn the sky

You say You are here

Oh, the maddening silence

Selah

Your voice, Your voice!

Speak power, thunder

Shout so loud

I hear nothing but You

So loud I rocket up

From the deep

And see You

Hovering o’er the waters

You in Your glory

Selah

Your voice, Your voice

Calming, warming

Suspending the droplets

Of my chaos 

overhead in vapor 

to float up up

And faraway fall
Leaving only my heart 

Here trembling with You

Prayer:  Mighty Word, speak loudly into our souls, excite our hearts with Your power.  Wake us with your holy thunder and open our ears to hear You.  Amen.

God Prepared Me

By Betty Hertz, St. John Lay Leader

On March 27, the Upper Room thought for the day was “I will trust God has prepared me for the journey. “

My initial reaction: “Are you kidding me, God? I  will be traveling to be with Mary, my only sister. My anxiety is high as I'm in shock about the extent of her cancer. You've prepared me for this?”

When I returned from this painful journey, I reflected on how God had prepared me.

God prepared me by planting me in Bible study at St. John and teaching me to turn to His word for comfort. I had packed the Indigenous Bible and opened it often.

I  frequently repeated the words from Psalm 55:22:

        “Give your burdens to the Lord

         And He will take care of you.” 

God prepared me by planting me at St. John, “a welcoming family joyfully sharing God's light.” When it was hard to see the light, I felt your prayers, read your cards, and laughed at the emails that lifted my spirit. I shared the prayer shawl with my sister and used it many times myself. I also listened to the choir singing “You Do Not Walk Alone.” Two verses from that song especially provided me with peace.       

        “May you see God's light on the path ahead when the road you walk is dark.

        May you always remember when the shadows fall, you do not walk alone.”

God prepared me by planting me with the skills I learned in the Stephen Ministry training. I remembered to listen, pray, and accept help just as I've done for others. God also planted Clifton Springs United Methodist Church directly across from the hospital. That congregation served as my local welcoming family.

As I experienced all these thoughts, I returned to the words: “I will trust God has prepared me for the journey.” God had prepared me, and He walked with me.

Dear God,

When our world is spinning out of control, remind us to trust that You have prepared us for whatever journey we face. We do not walk alone. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Daydreaming about heaven

By Karen Biggs

John 14:2 [Jesus speaking:] “There are many rooms in my Father's house. I wouldn't tell you this, unless it was true. I am going there to prepare a place for each of you.” 

Luke 23:43 “Jesus answered him [the man on the cross next to Him], ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.’”

 Now that I’ve attained the age when a number of my loved ones have passed, I daydream about heaven a little more frequently. Jesus gave his disciples just an inkling of heaven — all they needed to know, apparently. This hint of heaven must be enough. Indeed, it gives me immense comfort. I love the description of heaven as paradise — like Hawaii on steroids? I can roll with that. But, describing heaven as God’s house with many rooms is delightful — like a giant sleepover party where all is supplied, a feast is ready, there is ample space for everyone, and God’s love songs fill the air. Jesus is even preparing it all — creating it just so for each of us, when the time is right. Wow!

 Pipe Dream

By Karen Biggs

Heaven seems so distant 

in the day to day, 

like a pipe dream. 

But it’s the only dream 

that gives me any comfort. 

So play the pipes, 

Emmanuel —

Let your music lure me 

back from my wandering, 

Snap me out of my stupor,

Wake me from my sleepwalking, 

Draw me to You and

Make Your melody 

the refrain of my life. 

Prayer: Our loving God in heaven, hallowed be Your name. We thank you for the vision of paradise you give to us and the hope of a future celebrating with You in our forever-heavenly-home — all of which is a blessed gift of Your grace. Wow! Amen. 

What if there's no clear answer?

By Lisa Wells

Response to “Live in the Vine,” Acts 1:12-17, 21-26.

This passage reminds me that sometimes there is more than one right answer. As we go through life, certainly there are times when there is a clear right or wrong choice. But just as often, both choices are right. So how do we decide?  In my mind God is saying to us, “you might as well flip a coin, because I can use you for my glory either way.” Although the scripture in Acts did not explicitly state it, I believe that God could’ve used either candidate equally in His plan to spread the gospel. 

We struggle with life questions: should I go to this college or that one? Which job offer should I accept? Should I move out of state for an opportunity, or stay here? Where does God want me to go? If you have spent time in discernment (and asked others around you for prayer too), and there is no clear answer, it doesn’t mean that God isn’t listening or that He’s being deliberately aloof. It means good news: God has a loving plan for you either way!

St. John member Lisa Wells is a Certified Lay Servant and plays in the handbell choir.