Date: May 14, 2017
1
“WAYS AND MEANS”
SCRIPTURE: PSALM 31: 1
–
5, 15
–
16; JOHN 14: 1
–
14
GRACE COVENANT PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, ASHEVILLE, NC
May 14, 2017
The Rev. Dr. Marcia Mount Shoop, Pastor
Psalm 31:1
–
5, 15
–
16
31:1 In you, O LORD, I seek refuge; do not let me ever be put to
shame; in your
righteousness deliver me.
31:2 Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily. Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong
fortress to save me.
31:3 You are indeed my rock and my fortress; for your name’s sake lead me and
guide me,
31:4 take me out
of the net that is hidden for me, for you are my refuge.
31:5 Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O LORD, faithful
God.
31:15 My times are in your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies and
persecutors.
31:16 Let your face shi
ne upon your servant; save me in your steadfast love.
John 14:1
–
14
14:1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me.
14:2 In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I
have told you that I go
to prepare a place for you?
14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to
myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.
14:4 And you know the way to the place where I am going.”
14:5 Thomas said to him, “Lord,
we do not know where you are going. How can we
know the way?”
14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the
Father except through me.
14:7 If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know hi
m
and have seen him.”
2
14:8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”
14:9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not
know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you s
ay, ‘Show us the
Father’?
14:10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words
that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his
works.
14:11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Fat
her is in me; but if you do not,
then believe me because of the works themselves.
14:12 Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I
do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.
14:13 I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in
the Son.
14:14 If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Maybe you
have
seen the
17
–
year
cicadas
emerge like we hav
e bee
n out at our farm
these last several
days.
Their group emergence is so exactly coordinated th
at often they emerge in one
night
—
1000s of them ready to search for a mate and some ve
getation to eat. And, to
sing t
heir song,
a primal shrill bottomed wit
h the hum of creatures who sound
rel
ieved and
so utterly
determined
.
It is the song of emergence, of transformation.
I’ve been watching them when I can
—
in the li
ght of day, in the moonlight. I’ve
seen
them pour out of their husk and just begin to move a
round and let their wings adjust
to the air. I’ve seen them change color
—
from an almost ghostly white to the dark
black
body
and vivid red eyes that define them. I’ve seen some successfully enter
into their new
phase of
life
—
and
felt grateful
.
And then
I’ve seen others where something didn’t go the way it should
—
only half
way emerged and the process arrested.
17 years of growing from the size of an ant
to their adult size stopped right as they emerge.
I have to admit, I grieved for
those
—
after all that t
ime, and then the process just stopped. It felt crue
l.
