This is the first episode of our series, "Learning To... "available each Monday through April 1, 2024. This episode is led by Pastor Carolyn Hetrick of Grace Lutheran Church, State College, PA. Each week features breath prayer, a passage from scripture, music and reflection before sending you out with grace for the journey. This episode is "Learning to Trust God" as we think about Jesus in the wilderness that seemed unending and challenging, and yet where God promised to provide for him and did.
Today's scripture: Mark 1:9-15
Today's music:
- Thomas Keesecker's "Jesus Walked This Lonesome Valley," from The Quiet Journey, was recorded by pianist Adam H. Smith . Copyright (c) 2018 Birnamwood Publications (ASCAP), a division of MorningStar Music Publishers. Tune: LONESOME VALLEY and SOJOURNER. Non-commercial recording made available with permission from MorningStar, March, 2022. Streamed with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-700989. All rights reserved.
- Judy Nishimura's restful and joyful arrangement of "Just As I Am" (© 2020 ALRY Publications, www.alrypublications.com, United Music & Media Publishers) is used with permission from ALRY and was recorded for use by Laurel Sanders, flute.
To learn more about Grace Lutheran Church, visit https://glcpa.org.
To learn more about our ministries at Grace Lutheran Church, visit glcpa.org.
“Learning to…” Weekly podcast for Lent, 2024 Episode 1
Welcome to Pocketful of Grace, I’m Pastor Carolyn Hetrick of Grace Lutheran Church in State College Pennsylvania.
We’ve come to the Season of Lent, the weeks that began with Ash Wednesday and lead up to Easter. This year Ash Wednesday was on Valentine’s Day. Jesus Loves You!
This Lent we are focusing upon words from Psalm 25 “Lead me in your truth and teach me your paths.” And so, remembering Jesus loves us, we come to God knowing there are always things we can learn to embrace as we follow our Lord.
Before we go on, let’s breathe. Today we will take the first part of the Psalm, “Lead me” as we breath in and then say “I am listening” as we breath out. We will do that three times.
Now we are here to check in with God as we navigate our world and faith journey. Our daily lives can be messy and beautiful and full of conflicting messages. And maybe some wilderness times that feel unending. How is your world now? Take a moment and tell God about it.
(Music)
Today we are learning to trust God as we hear the gospel of Mark 1:9-15
Jesus was baptized by John , fully immersed in the river. And as he surfaces, he hears God called him, “Beloved Child.”
While most of us do not recall our baptism, can you recall a time someone called you “Beloved?” Or when someone took delight in you? That is how God see YOU in your baptism.
But after that moment, Jesus ends up in a lonely place. Wilderness for 40 days. Most of us don’t even like to wait on how for a couple minutes, that time must have seemed endless.
Remember that Jesus was fully human. When he didn’t eat for 40 days, he felt it. And he faced temptations to stop trusting God. And he was with wild animals, which seem like something you can’t trust. I wonder how hard it was for him to keep trusting God’s words to Him?
Have there been times when you too have found it hard to remember God’s love and promises to be with you?
Can you picture the wilderness with Jesus?
(MUSIC to reflect)
We hear that angels tended to Jesus. They were part of God’s loving commitment in a hard time. And maybe the wild animals were protectors and cared for Jesus too, after all we hear of them in the same sentence with the angels. Remember you are Beloved. Can you hear this echoing for Jesus?
It can be hard to trust God when we are weary, afraid, or tempted to give up. God promises that we can trust that we will not avoid struggle, but we too will be cared for, protected and strengthened. God never leaves us and may surround us with surprising companions that we can count upon.
We’ll close with our breath prayer, breathing in, “Lead me” and this time as we breathe out we will say, “I am trusting.” We’ll do that 3 times. And if you stick around after the closing music there is information about Lent here at Grace.
Take care, beloveds.
OUTRO: Join us each week for another episode of “Learning to…” through the week of Easter. Next week we will be “Learning to Rethink.”
We offer Weekly Wednesday Worship in Lent at 12:15 and 6:15. If you come in the evening why not join us for dinner at 5:15? Use the main entrance and head downstair to our Harkins Fellowship Hall.
Our Sunday worship is at 8, 9 and 10:30 am in person. You can also listen to our 10:30 service on the radio at Bigfoot Country Legends
Or Watch our 10:30 service live or later via our 10:30 livestream, just go to our website, glcpa.org and click “WATCH.”
Check out glcpa.org for all our worship and activities and you can download our free glcpa app to have Grace on the Go wherever your journey takes you.