Day 2: Faith in the Midst of a Pandemic

Day 2:

Faith in the Midst of a Pandemic

A series of daily reflections for the people of faith

at Patuxent Presbyterian Church, California, Maryland

 by Rev. Robert Bayley, Interim Pastor

MONDAY 16 MARCH 2020

"CANCELLED"

“Many things have been cancelled due to the coronavirus. Love is not one of them.” - Rev. James Martin in the March 13, 2020 issue of the bi-weekly periodical America.

How did you feel about missing church yesterday morning, not because you chose to, but because it was cancelled? How do you fare when the predictable and comfortable are interrupted, when things you count on are cancelled ?  

Many of us have lived for years with the threat of the cancellation of Sunday worship services lurking around in the background of our lives and calendars, whether it is the potential for a massive snowstorm or a devastating hurricane or tornado, all weather-related causes of a cessation of our weekly routine have been short-lived and manageable.

This is different. And as the increasing seriousness of it all sinks in we are finding cancellations confronting us in whatever direction we turn, from places of work to social and sporting events to schools and places of worship to travel.

So we have now collectively entered a time unlike any we have known before and are traversing a terrain uncharted. Things are changing daily, even hourly.

In the midst of all this change one thing will never be cancelled, but remain constant in our lives: God’s love for us, our love for God, our love for others, their love for us: “Many things have been cancelled ... love is not one of them.”

That great paean to love, 1 Corinthians 13, surrounds us with the inviolability of love, and sets out all things which can never be cancelled. It is a good place in which to rest during all the cancellations and changes swirling around us. Read it now and let it refresh you on your journey today.  

Reflective Question:

Reflect on all the things that you are experiencing being cancelled. What do you miss the most?

How can love, which has not been cancelled, take its place?

Reflective Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:13:

“And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

Reflective Hymn: The Sold Rock

My hope is built on nothing less

    than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;

I dare not trust the sweetest frame,

    but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

On Christ the solid rock I stand,

    all other ground is sinking sand,

    all other ground is sinking sand. 

Reflective Prayer: Write your own.

PRAYER REQUEST: click here to submit.

Day 1: Faith in the Midst of a Pandemic

Faith in the Midst of a Pandemic

A series of daily reflections for the people of faith

at Patuxent Presbyterian Church, California, Maryland

by Rev. Robert Bayley, Interim Pastor

SUNDAY 15 MARCH 2020

Anger, Change and the Coronavirus

“The Emotions of Lent: Anger”

This was to have been our focus for the sermon this morning, but changes have occurred that are out of our hands – put another way, we have lost control of some areas of our lives.

The premise in the outline for today states that our “Anger is in direct  proportion to our inability to be in control, a dynamic that arises out of our brokenness.”

Read Genesis 4:1-16. Cain was angry that God didn’t accept his offering, and God confronted him with it. But instead of letting God help him with his anger he went out and, in a fit of rage, killed his brother Abel.

It is unwise to think we can eradicate anger from our existence, for it accompanies us throughout life in some form:

1. There is the POTENTIAL for anger that is always within us.

2. There is the PRESENCE of anger which will test our will from time to time to see how we will respond;

3. and there is the PRACTICE of anger where we use anger to manipulate the people around us, an anger that harms them and us.

Learning to control anger is just that: learning to control it. But when our anger does get the best of us God’s Word gives us a resolution:“’In your anger do not sin’: do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.” Ephesians 4:26. In other words: deal with it, seek forgive-ness, and don’t let it fester, giving the enemy a place to do a number on us.

Reflective Question: God asked Cain, “’Why are you angry?’” He asks us the same question: what makes you angry?

Reflective Scripture: Proverbs 16:32:“A person who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and someone who rules their spirit is better than someone who rules a city.”

Reflective Hymn: “Cleanse Me”
Search me, O God, and know my heart today;
Try me, O Savior, know my thoughts, I pray.
See if there be some wicked way in me;
Cleanse me from every sin and set me free.

Reflective Prayer: Write your own

The Emotions of Lent: Anger

The Emotions of Lent – Anger

Patuxent Presbyterian Church

Rev. Robert Bayley, Interim Pastor

LENT III

Genesis 4:1-16   
James 1:19-22    
John 2:13-17

There are two kinds of anger:

1. ‘Bad’ anger that is in direct proportion to our inability to be in control, an anger that arises out of our own brokenness.

Galatians 5:20 “…The acts of the sinful nature are….fits of rage…” “fits of rage” single Greek word = to seethe, rage or boil; literally ‘whirlwind’ or ‘storm.’

‘Bad’ anger - A case study: Genesis 4:1-16

Anger: the Hebrew word conveys a kindling, burning, consuming dynamic.

Genesis 4:5-6 “The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his

offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.”

Q: What makes you angry?

Genesis 4:6-7 “Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 
If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.’”

Q: What do you hear the Lord saying to you when you are angry?

Genesis 4:8 “Now Cain said to his brother Abel, ‘Let’s go out to the field.’ And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.”

Q: What have been some of the consequences of your anger when you have vented it? 

A subtle consequence of anger: it interferes with our ability to pray.

I want people everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer without anger…” 1 Timothy 2:8.
How are we to address anger in our lives?

First, learn to identify and distinguish between
The POTENTIAL for anger which is always within us as broken persons;
The PRESENCE of anger which will continue at times to test our will;
The PRACTICE of anger which will harm us and the recipients of our anger, reminding us of the admonition in God’s Word: “love…is not easily angered.” 1 Cor. 13:5.

Second, learn to practice self-control – Proverbs 16:32
“A person who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and someone who rules their spirit is better than someone who rules a city.”

Third, deal with anger as soon as it appears; to postpone it is to allow it to fester.

“’In your anger do not sin’: do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.”

2. ‘Good or righteous’ anger that reflects God’s consuming anger at all things contrary to His will and purposes, things that damage people, an anger balanced with grace.

‘Good or righteous’ anger – A case study: John 2:13-17
John 2:17 “’Zeal for your house will consume me.”
Zeal – the Greek word means to be hot or burn (in spirit), fervent; boiling = hot enough to boil over with passion for something.
Consume – eat up, devour.
The zeal or anger of Jesus involved: 
a specific time frame: ‘market time’ in the temple
a specific focus: the commercialization of faith, gouging poor worshippers
a specific purpose: changing the system
He was always in control of His zeal or righteous anger – it never controlled Him. 

Q: Have you ever known a ‘righteous anger’ or zeal for addressing something wrong in the world that hurts people and angers God? 

MONDAY MORNING
1. Make a list of all the things that make you angry in life and in relationships and then every day this week ask the Lord to help you with your anger.
2. Ask the Lord to give you a ‘righteous anger’ or zeal for something wrong in the world that angers God because of what it does to people.

Worship Resources

Worship Resources for Families

Streaming or prerecorded Worship – Note that each of these websites also have links or options for daily devotionals.

Find the Truth for Life – Alistair Begg

https://info.truthforlife.org/live - This Sunday’s message is “Trusting God in the Dark”, a prerecorded complete worship service, with a special message for March 15^th.

Desiring God – John Piper - https://www.desiringgod.org/messages

Broadcast TV Option: In Touch Ministries with Dr. Charles Stanley –  https://www.intouch.org/

- YouTube Channel “In Touch Ministries” 
- TV  7:00  AM on LIFE Channel
- TV 8:00 AM on USA and ION

Grace to You – John MacArthur - https://www.gty.org/library/resources/sermons-library

Look up a speaker or pastor you have heard!   Many sermons are on YouTube or individual websites:

Want to create your own family worship?  

Use The Book of Common Worship found here as a PDF: https://bookoforder.info/Book-of-Common-Worship.pdf - “Morning Prayer” is particularly useful for family worship, found on page 499 of the book, OR 491 of the PDF.

Daily Devotionals abound online!!  Search “online Bible devotional” to find a number of excellent resources.

PaxPres and Coronavirus COVID19

California, MD - Due to the increasing threat of COVID-19, and because we deeply care about the health and well-being of all who attend and visit, Patuxent Presbyterian Church will suspend all church activities, which are held on-site, through March 31st:

Sunday worship services

Sunday school classes

Sunday Fellowship

Children's Church

Youth Group/Band

Honey MacCallum Christian Preschool classes

Choir practice/Handbell practice

Women's Prayer Group

Garden Club Meeting

Indoor Soccer Practice

Broad Creek HOA Meeting

BSA Western Shore District Committee Meetings

Yoga Class

Volleyball

Futsol Practice

SMCR Executive Committee Meeting

Cub Scout Meeting

Creative Christian Cooks

On-Site Small Groups

March 29th Youth Sunday/Town Hall Meeting/Potluck Lunch

The following events have been cancelled:

Youth Group Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser

W.A.R.M. - Wrapping Arms 'Round Many

Cosmic Concert

SMCR Game Night

The following events will go on as scheduled:

A.A. Meeting - Saturdays

Women's A.A. Meeting - Mondays

Co-Dependents Anonymous - Tuesdays

Church Work & Mulch Day - March 28th

Off-site Small Groups:

Small groups are encouraged to use discretion in meeting during these unusual times.  To mitigate the spread of the coronavirus schools have been closed statewide and professional sports cancelled.  This is serious.  For a short period of time (at least two weeks) it is prudent to limit meeting in groups.  Instead, Small Group participants may read the Bible or use some of the references listed on the Pax Pres website for individual study and growth.

Your continued support of tithes and offerings is greatly appreciated, as the financial obligations – payroll, utilities, missionary support – continue. To stay current, please consider mailing your checks directly to the church or signing up for online giving (the convenient, fast and secure option).

Lastly, the church office staff will be on-site for administrative functions only, Mondays - Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Rev. Robert Bayley is available for pastoral emergencies by calling our office at 301.863.2033.

"Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you." ~ 2 Thessalonians 3:16, NIV

Your friends in Christ,

Patuxent Presbyterian Church

A NOTE FROM PASTOR ROBERT

Members and friends of PaxPres,

These are uncertain times and this is an unknown terrain in which we travel. However, we serve a sovereign God in whom we trust through our relationship with Jesus Christ. That relationship is nourished, encouraged, comforted and protected through our regular interaction with God's eternal and trustworthy Word. During this time when worship services are suspended, I will be providing you with the weekly sermon outline study guide. I hope it will serve you in ways that are supportive until we gather together again.

While distancing is becoming the watchword, please know I am available for pastoral care emergencies. Please contact the church office at 301.863.2033.

Pax Christi, Pastor Robert

PaxPres Coronavirus Precautions

For Immediate Release

From Patuxent Presbyterian Church

Wednesday, March 11, 2020

In response to the Coronavirus outbreak, Patuxent Presbyterian Church is implementing necessary precautions for the wellness of our church family, as well as the many visitors to our church. We do have some suggestions for your consideration:

Greeting: Please forego handshakes and hugs (for now).

Communion: Procedures are being put in place to ensure the safety of all congregants.

Offering: We will be taking proper precautions during offering to make the process as sanitary as possible. OnlineGiving could be your best solution!

Cleaning: Deb’s Commercial Cleaning Service currently cleans the church every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The following changes are in effect immediately:

1.     Every Monday until notified to change back. Bathrooms – will continue to be cleaned with Clorox. All surfaces, including all handles for inside and outside entrances of church and sanctuary - will do hospital-grade cleaning with lemon disinfecting NCL solution. Floors – to be cleaned with Lysol floor cleaner.

2.     This Friday, March 13 - Will wipe all handles inside and outside entrances with Clorox wipes along with regular cleaning.

3.     Every Wednesday and Friday, until notified otherwise: Will continue with regular cleaning routine adding wipe-down of all handles inside and outside entrances with disinfectant wipes.

Sickness: if you have a fever or a cold, please stay home and recuperate.

Hand Sanitizer and Disinfectant Wipes: available in the Narthex and Fellowship Hall for your use.

As of today, Sunday worship services, Honey MacCallum Christian Preschool, and all planned events/activities will continue as scheduled. If there are any changes whatsoever, we will let you know via church email, Constant Contact, social media and our church messaging system.

We are a praying church. Let us remain prayerful for all those affected by this virus and know that God is holding us all in His caring hands.

God Bless,

Patuxent Presbyterian Church Staff

The Emotions of Lent: Loneliness

The Emotions of Lent: Loneliness

Rev. Dr. Robert Bayley, Interim Pastor

Genesis 3:1-13,21-24                

I Corinthians 12:12-27                  

Matthew 4:1-11

The problem: loneliness

Lent – The 40 days of Lent = 40 days of Jesus’ temptation in the desert or wilderness, the Greek word for wilderness indicating ‘solitary, abandoned, desolate.’ The origin of this loneliness is the Fall described in our Old Testament reading – Genesis 3:1-13, 21-24.

Q: Where in your life have you felt or do you now feel abandoned, living in a solitary, desolate place on your journey of life? 

There is a severity of loneliness that can lead to deep profound depression and suicidal thoughts: “’I despise my life; I would not live forever. Let me alone; my days have no meaning.’”  Job 7:16

Q: Where in your life have you felt or do you now feel this way? What do you want to say to God about it?

The cry of Christ from the cross bridged the gap of loneliness between us and God: "'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'" Mark 15:34

God’s response to our loneliness: Promises of Presence

“…the Lord your God goes with you: he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6/Hebrews 13:5

“’…I will be with you always, to the very end…’” Matthew 28:20

“…nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:39

Q: Which of these three promises most speaks to your times of loneliness? Why?

God’s response to our loneliness: Promises of People

"We were all baptized by one Spirit into one body…now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” 1 Corinthians 12:13,27

“For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord.” Romans 14:7

“…you were slain, and with your blood you purchased people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God.” Revelation 5:9-10

Q: How does being a part of Christ’s body and therefore connected to Him through His people address your times of feeling lonely?

Monday Morning

Fill in the response spaces in the outline and incorporate them into your prayer time each day.

HMC Preschool Chick-fil-A Spirit Night!

Honey MacCallum Christian Preschool Spirit Night Fundraiser! Tuesday, March 10th

Please remember to bring a copy of THIS FLYER when ordering - either electronically or a hard copy. And if going through the Drive-Thru is your preference, no problem. As long as you have THIS FLYER, it's all good!