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The First Presbyterian Church of Gaylord, 513 Charles Brink Road, Gaylord, MI (2026)

06/14/2026

A HEALING TOUCH
JUNE 14, 2026
THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
PSALM 100
EXODUS 19.2-8
MATTHEW 9.27-38
SANDY WILSON, LITURGIST
SUSAN DUNKLEE, PIANIST
SPECIAL MUSIC: WALLY AND JANICE LONEY
PRAYER FOCUS: CHRIS AND BOB GILLING

06/08/2026

JESUS EATS WITH FAMILY
JUNE 7, 2026
SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
PSALM 50.7-15
HOSEA 5.15-6.6
MATTHEW 9.9-13, 18-26

Our readings for this week call for spiritual and liturgical renewal accompanied by repentance and reorientation toward God. Hosea and the psalm reading are calling the people back to God, threatening vengeance if the people do not turn back around. The psalmist calls out to the people that God does not want sacrifices of animals but of living contrite hearts and spirits. Both Hosea and the psalmist are not calling out individuals, rather than whole societies. In the Gospel lesson, we hear Jesus renaming the outcast and lost, as being found family.

It is said that the church is a hospital for the sinners, not a museum for the saints. As we read Matthew’s version of the stories, the Pharisees complain that Jesus is eating with the outcast. Jesus does not deny this, but states, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick do. ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice’ Go and learn what this means. For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.” Tax collectors, like Matthew, were considered socially despised for working with the Roman Empire. Where-as the Pharisees and other church leaders were aligned politically with the occupying army. How does this relate today, there are Christians who benefit from the political empire, wave flags and quote the Bible out of context. There are other Christians who are not as vocal, but try to take Jesus’ teachings to heart. As always, let us remember as we are pointing out the perceived wrongs of others, three fingers are pointing back at us. This is why Jesus is still redefining who is to be considered clean and members of the family.

Who are the outcasts in our society today? This month is Pride month. Since the beginning of societies, there have been gay-lesbian-transgendered, or as the natives call them “Two-Spirit People!” There is a block of the Christian Churches who do not acknowledge them, calling them deviants, different, not like me. They hold onto 7 verses that have been mistranslated and taken out of context over the rest of scriptures 660 verses that call for forgiveness and love. G**s and le****ns were around in Jesus’ time, what words of judgment does he offer, not one recorded word. Pride month is not a “give us a month so we can rub it your face.” Rather, they have overcome prejudice, hatred, bigotry and murder over centuries and are asking for the same rights and privileges that everyone is supposed to have in the United States; just as the Blacks, the women, the Native Americans and other oppressed groups have had to literally fight city hall and congress to be accepted as the human beings, that they are, Children of the Same God that we worship.

Another group would be the homeless and the mentally ill. Neither of these groups of individuals chose this. They struggle and are misunderstood by many. This is not new, this also has been around for eternities.

In the healings of Matthew, the woman who hemorrhaged for 12 years was considered an outcast and unclean because she bled for those 12 years. For that matter, all women who experience their menstrual cycle were considered unclean during the time they were menstruating and had to go through a cleansing ritual before they were allowed back into society. Yet, the unnamed woman, who was later called daughter by Jesus and she was welcomed back into society. For the daughter who died, Jesus again reached out beyond expectations and touched the dead to bring her back to life. Just for the touching of a dead body would make someone unclean in Jesus’ time.

Eight years ago, before I came to Ga***rd, I was in Nuiqsut, Alaska, a village in the North Slope. I was preaching about the same healings, but from the Gospel of Mark. The author of Mark likes the word “immediately” throughout the Gospel. (Like the disciples left their boats and nets immediately; healings happened immediately; situations changed immediately). So, the healings as recorded in Mark happened immediately. There was a teenager there that day, his family was in chaos, as many families in the North Slope, with drugs and many other issues. His prayer for that day was that his family would be healed, not in God’s time, but immediately. I have never forgotten that prayer request. How often do we pray for healing, body, mind, spirit or situation with the unsaid word, immediately. As I have been thinking and praying about this sermon, I realize that next week will be the reading of another healing, followed by a short healing service here.

Just as Jesus sat and ate with strangers, outcast and sinners, he called them family. So, should we look at those we consider as outcasts or include them as family? All are invited to eat and celebrate the communion that is prepared for all to participate. For we too, we are family.

06/07/2026

JESUS EATS WITH FAMILY
JUNE 7, 2026
SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
PSALM 50.7-15
HOSEA 5.15-CHAPTER 6.6
MATTHEW 9.9-13, 18-26
MARIAN SCHLEMMER, LITURGIST
PRAYER FOCUS: MADELINE MILIDONIS FRITZ

06/04/2026

SECOND WEEK OF PENTECOST; JUNE 4, 2026

Grace and greetings to all.

*For the Prayer Focus of the Week, there is no immediate reason behind the naming of the prayer week focus other that the names come next on the mailing/contact list alphabetically. As the Body of Christ, we are called to lift each other up in prayer, and I am suggesting that we lift each other up daily, with emphasis of families and individuals changing weekly; this week’s Prayer Focus is: MADELINE MILIDONIS FRITZ

*Do not forget to sign up for our Fellowship Dinner, Thursday, June 4, at Michaywe’ Inn.
Call Scot Hutton for reservations.

JOYS FROM LAST SUNDAY’S SERVICE
*Prayer Focus: SUSAN AND DENNIS DUNKLEE…
*Sunshine…
*Joe Crabtree is doing better…
*Terry Skoglund as liturgist…
*Meteyer’s grandson, Ambrose going to Brazil as summer student exchange…
*Huntley Robinson is doing better, still in his boot, but can take it off to stretch the ankle…
*Madeline Fritz saw a fawn soon after birth in yard; granddaughter’s cat brought a squirrel in…
*Chris Gilling is healing nicely…
*Lucy and Lila graduated…
*Wally Loney’s cardiologist told him to come back in a year…

OUR PRAYERS REQUESTED FROM LAST SUNDAY
*Meteyer’s neighbor, Tammy Tompkin with a brain tumor…
*Ann Wilson’s sister, Mary is home, though living alone…
*Jeff Ghainer died in January, Rev. Ian officiated a graveside service Saturday…
*Huntley Robinson broke his ankle…
*Nancy Clappison and Bob are at home…
*Nan Robinson is in pain, waiting to hear back an MRI and more test results…
*War in Iran…
*Jane Whately’s brother, Guy, grandson Aaron, granddaughter Lidia; Jane’s niece and family,
Kiera, Evelyn, Becky and Corry; Joe Crabtree, liver failure…
*Chris Gilling has a broken neck…
*Gilling’s daughter’s, Kelly, family, mental illness…
*Susan Dunklee for her feet…
*Susan Chappel’s friend, Annette and family…
*Judy Penney’s sister, Joann, son Dan and his wife Gen…
*People of Ukraine/Russia; in the Middle-East…
*Prayers for those who are have problems in their lives…
I invite you to open your family Bible for this week’s Lectionary Readings,

The Second Week of Pentecost:
SEMICONTINUOUS: Genesis 12.1-9 and Psalm 33.1-12
COMPLEMENTARY: Hosea 5.15-6.6 and Psalm 50.7-15
Romans 4.13-25; Matthew 9.9-13, 18-26

LET US PRAY:
Eternal God, whose word silences the shouts of the mighty;
Quiet within us every voice but your own.
Speak to us through the suffering and death of Jesus Christ
That by the power of your Holy Spirit
We may receive grace to show Christ’s love
In lives given to your service. Amen

PSALM 33.1-12

Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous. Praise befits the upright.
Praise the Lord with the lyre; Make melody to him with the harp of ten strings.
Sing to him a new song; Play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.

For the word of the Lord is upright, And all his work is done in faithfulness.
He loves righteousness and justice; The earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.

By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all their host by the breath of his mouth.
He gathered the waters of the sea as in a bottle; He put the deeps in storehouses.

Let all the earth fear the Lord; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
For he spoke, and it came to be; He commanded, and it stood firm.
The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He frustrates the plans of the peoples.
The counsel of the Lord stands forever, The thoughts of his heart to all generations.
Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord, The people whom he has chosen as his heritage.

HOLY WISDOM, HOLY WORDS
FOR THE PEOPLE OF GOD

From now to the end of the Church calendar year, we will have the choice to follow two different tracks from the Lectionary, of The Old Testament, or Hebrew Scriptures. The first track is the “Semicontinuous” meaning that there is a flow from week to week with the readings. The second track is known as the “Complementary” where it is tied closer to the New Testament readings. Since most of my Lectionary commentaries follow the “Complementary” track, I too preach on Sundays following this track on most Sundays.

The psalm for today is connected with the reading from Genesis this week, or the “Semicontinuous”. In the Genesis reading, God is telling Abram, Sarai and Lot to go to another land that God will show them. From among their children and descendants will become the people known as Israel. Though there is no known real connection between God and Abram, Abram follows. In some way, it is like one of us moving from here to a new place at this time in our own lives. Some of us have already moved from the place they were to come here to retire away from down state.

Within the psalm, are calls to rejoice in the Lord! Praise the Lord with the lyre (the very early guitar). How often do we sit down and praise God with song outside of worship? When we walk around our respective neighborhoods, how often do we look around and thank God for the beauty of the place and neighbors? How often do we realize that when God created the world, God stated that “It Is Good”? How often do we realize the God is still calling the place we call home, Good? Do we offer thanks and praise?

In the other psalm for this week, we are being called to live with a grateful heart and spirit. We are called to come before God with a clean and contrite spirit according other psalms. God is calling us to constantly be grateful for all that God has given us, starting with creation itself.

Let us continually Praise God! Alleluia and Amen

LET US PRAY

*For the Prayer Focus of the Week: MADELINE MILIDONIS FRITZ…
*Birthdays, anniversaries, and other days of joy…
*For answered prayers…
*For thanksgiving of all gifts of life…
*For all those who keep themselves healthy by staying home bound…
*All who struggle with daily issues and other physical ailments…
*For our congregation…
*The heard and the unheard…
*The known and the unknown…
*The spoken and the unspoken…
*The seen and the unseen…
We lift all these prayers to you, O Lord…

05/31/2026

GAZING INTO THE VOID
MAY 31, 2026
TRINITY SUNDAY
GENESIS CHAPTER ONE
2 CORINTHIANS 13.11-13
PSALM 8

Since the dawn of consciousness, humanity has peered into the void to ask the question, who am I? Over the next millennia or two, the question was broadened to something beyond ourselves, and incorporated the mystery of the Divine. Then about five thousand years, give or take a few millennia, the idea of a single Divine creator emerged, known as Monotheism. As the ability to communicate, written words once again looked back into the void to try and answer the question, where did we come from? Thinkers, writers, dreamers tried to answer the question; over time possible answers came; stories were told handed down throughout generations, first by voice and memory, then over time, by the written word. Three thousand years ago, the Hebraic faith started to take hold and grew. As we trace our theological history and understanding, Christianity came about. Theologians and scholars debated over the mystery of the Divine, and continue to do so. Being on what was considered the wrong side, literally meant death. Over the course of time, one side of the debate came out on top, mostly because they were backed by politicians, strong armies and lots of money. Between the years 300 to 650, the winning side continued to hold meetings to hammer out what Christianity is about. The basis for confessions came about, the Nicaean and the Apostle’s Creeds were written and agreed to help explain the nature of God. These were enforced by faith, belief and the point of the sword. Yet, we still stare into the void, trying to answer the question who is God and who are we? The debate continues still…

In the reading from Genesis, we are able to look into the void with God, and creation happens. There are those who believe that creation happened just as recorded in Genesis, where there are two different accounts, Genesis 1 and Genesis 2. What I take away from either of the Creation myths, is that God blesses Creation every step of the way, and calls Creation Good! We continue to try and explain who God is and why. Today is Trinity Sunday, one way to explain the nature of God, Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer, or more commonly known as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We are taught that we are made in the image of God, female and male, and the very essence of God is love. That means, we are the embodiment of love.

We hear from the psalmist, “what are humans that you are mindful of them?” In Genesis, we are told to multiply and have dominion over the earth. That does not mean we can carve up the earth as we please, it means that being made in God’s image, we are co-creators. While writing this sermon, Kris was out in the garden, I asked her why she does it. She expressed that she liked playing in the dirt and creating. I noticed that she was wearing a tee-shirt that we made with our son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren, with our handprints on the back of the shirt. Even while playing in the dirt creating, she did it with the family included. We are made in the image of the Creator.

In the passage from 2 Corinthians, Paul continues to remind the congregation that is in conflict, that they too are created in God’s image, “Listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace.” From the Greek, “to agree with one another” can also be translated as “be of one mind.” This does not mean that we all must live as one, the sameness throughout, but that we live in peace, having an open heart and mind to hear what each other has to say, and to find forgiveness in our conflicts. For we are made in the image of God, body, mind and spirit; and if God is love, we are love. Paul’s final words give voice to the possibility of hope, even in the despair of dark brokenness. He voices the assurance that people do not face this overwhelming challenge alone. As in all of Paul’s undisputed letters, he acknowledges and claims the presence of the grace of God.

A personal thought on 2 Corinthians 13.12, “Greet one another with a holy kiss.” How can we greet one another with a kiss if we are in conflict with one another. It is said that even Judas greeted Jesus with a kiss when leading to Jesus’ arrest. Are we able to greet one another with a holy kiss?

The psalmist asks us to live in gratitude and in wonder for our relationship to God. God is author of life and sustainer of life. In our time, especially, we are asked to step out of anxiety and despair and move into gratitude: we have life, and we know it. In Psalm 8, we are reminded of great possibilities for ourselves, possibilities that are nurtured and grow out of splendid gits of God: transcendence, gratitude, loving and compassion.

As God looks into the void, creation was spoken, and God still calls it good. God’s creation and blessing is not a one time event, it continues. From the 14th century mystic, Meister Eckhart: He wrote that God the Father laughed, and the Son was born. Then the two of them laughed, and the Spirit was born. When all three laughed, humanity was born. For Eckhart, the mystery of the Trinity was surrounded by peals of golden laughter at the very heart of the universe. We are made in the image of the Divine Creator, go forth, laugh, create, love and enjoy life.

05/31/2026

GAZING INTO THE VOID
MAY 31, 2026
TRINITY SUNDAY
GENESIS CHAPTER 1, SELECTED VERSES
2 CORINTIANS 13.11-13
PSALM 8
TERRY SKOGLUND, LITURGIST
SUSAN DUNKLEE, PIANIST
SPECIAL MUSIC: WALLY AND JANICE LONEY
PRAYER FOCUS: DENNIS AND SUSAN DUNKLEE

05/26/2026

THE DAY THE WIND BLEW FREE
MAY 24, 2026
DAY OF PENTECOST
JOHN 20.19-23
I CORINTHIANS 12.3-13
ACTS 2.1-21

On this Day of Pentecost, we get to wish a very happy birthday to the greater Christian body. How long has God been planning this party? Check out Genesis for the beginning. For the universal church was born when the Spirit blew on to the disciples and believers everywhere, and continues to breathe upon us today and all days hereafter. The same Spirit that brought the tongues of fire upon the disciples, also blows gifts of the Spirit upon you, you have many gifts of the Spirit to share and utilize for the benefit of all. In the Hebrew and Greek, the word for Spirit can also be translated as wind and/or breath. Do we all use these gifts? Probably not, but that does not mean the gifts are not there to use. Like the disciples and others gathered in the locked room as described in the Gospel of John’s reading, we too are locked away, afraid to move forward. As Jesus stood with the gathered, he gave them peace. The assurance that God will always be with them, sending them out beyond the locked room. They do not need to be afraid, nor do you, for God is always with you. Yes, we all know I am going to retire in the next seven to nine months; there is fear of what is going to happen to this congregation following that time, but I am telling you to hold on to the peace that God offers. Yes, you will need to claim the gifts of the Spirit for the sake of the congregation and work together to move forward. Much like the disciples of Jesus did not know what to do following the resurrection, then feeling lost again following the Ascension of Jesus, but the Spirit breathed upon them the Day of Pentecost. The Spirit that brings life out of death, hope out of despair. That same Spirit blows upon you as well. Yes, the unknown future can bring darkness and fear; but it also brings hope, the assurance of the Divine’s presence and the peace of God.

With the bestowing of the Spirit, the disciples had a name change as well, the birthday party becomes a graduation party. Instead of disciples, those who learn from their teacher, they became Apostles, meaning they were sent out. As we read in the Book of Acts, also known as the Acts of the Apostles, they were learning how to become the church as they went, meaning they were flying by the seat of their proverbial pants. First Presbyterian Church of Ga***rd, already exist in its structural sense, now it needs the people sitting here to be ready to be sent out into the wild. Do you trust the Lord your God? Do you believe you already have the gifts of the Spirit within you? It is the same Spirit that blew and breathed upon the creation of all in Genesis, that continues to blow and breath upon you here and going forward.

In I Corinthians, Paul addresses a congregation in conflict after he left them. In the reading for today, we learn of the many different gifts of the Spirit, that are not limited just to those named. Paul is assuring the people of Corinth, there is no hierarchy within the body, and we are the Body of Christ here as well. Paul goes on to explain that the foot is not the hands, the eyes are not ears, but all are imperative for the whole body to exist as it is meant to endure. Paul moves on to the next portion of his letter, by exalting the greatest gift of all, to love, and we all witness the gift very much alive here. Sometimes we forget, but we all share the gift of love. It is time to acknowledge the many gifts of the Spirit here already. Every time we ordain or install Ruling Elder, Deacon or Minister of Word and Sacrament, this passage from I Corinthians 12 is part of the process. The Presbyterian Church already acknowledges and affirms that the ministry of the Session, the ministry of Deacons, the ministry of Minister of the Word and Sacrament AND the ministry the congregation are all one! When one part of the body falters, the others are there to continue. As John Calvin, the parent of the Presbyterian understanding, likes to call it, the Priesthood of all Believers.

Returning to the recorded Day of Pentecost, we are not told where the body is gathered, but the Spirit of God of All Creation blew and breathed upon the assembled and the gifts were bestowed. Who do you think were part of the gathering, particularly those not named by the author, Luke? Can we finally acknowledge that the group embodies much more diversity in gender and culture. The gifts to be able to communicate with one another where language was hindering understanding. It is like the reversal of the Tower of Bable in Genesis which split up the people with different languages and now the mending and healing of the many different groups. Tongues of Fire were seen residing upon the assembled. Many denominations have the fire within their symbols, including the Presbyterian Church, USA. If you look at the symbol on the front of the bulletin, besides the cross are the flames of fire. Also within the symbol is the dove, the open book, the communion table and all grounded by the cross.

It is the Blowing Spirit which sends spiritual gifts to equip the church for its ministry, reshapes the character and temperament of cooperating believers, and empowers such mysterious worship and edification gifts as speaking so that we are understood by one another. It is worth noting that the Jewish festival of Pentecost celebrated the giving of the Law and that the Christian holiday of the same name celebrates the giving of the Spirit who fulfills the Law by bringing the unity of love. The Spirit has been loosed into the world, and its creative and life-giving power has always been and is now the gift of families and communities, of churches, and of nations. The relevant question has become not just “How will I respond to these gifts of the Spirit?” but “How will we respond with these gifts?”

05/24/2026

THE DAY THE WIND BLEW FREE
MAY 24, 2026
DAY OF PENTECOST
JOHN 20.19-23
I CORINTIANS 12.3-13
ACTS 2.1-21
LYNN LARIVIERE, LITURGIST
SUSAN DUNKLEE, PIANIST
PRAYER FOCUS: PATTI DAWSON

05/22/2026

FIRST WEEK OF PENTECOST; MAY 22, 2026

Grace and greetings to all.

*For the Prayer Focus of the Week, there is no immediate reason behind the naming of the prayer week focus other that the names come next on the mailing/contact list alphabetically. As the Body of Christ, we are called to lift each other up in prayer, and I am suggesting that we lift each other up daily, with emphasis of families and individuals changing weekly; this week’s Prayer Focus is: PATTI DAWSON

*Do not forget to sign up for our Fellowship Dinner, Thursday, June 4, at Michaywe’ Inn.
Call Scot Hutton for reservations.

JOYS FROM LAST SUNDAY’S SERVICE

*Prayer Focus: NELL CURTIS…
*Symphony Concert at high school…
*Friends returning for the summer…
*Chris Gilling is thankful for all the calls and cards…
*Susan Dunklee is thankful for the cards for her brother, Dick’s passing…
*Huntley Robinson is doing better, still in his boot, but can take it off to stretch the ankle…

OUR PRAYERS REQUESTED FROM LAST SUNDAY

*Jackie Francis died May 8th; lifting up family…
*Ann Wilson’s sister, Mary…
*Conrad and Cheryl Code’s daughter passed away, Monday, May 18th…
*Huntley Robinson broke his ankle…
*Nancy Clappison is in rehab, and Bob is in Indiana with his daughter…
*Wally Loney’s brother died Monday, May 18th…
*Nan Robinson is in pain, waiting to hear back an MRI results…
*Kris Page’s friend, Jana’s significant other past away; Jana and Stephanie grew up as sisters…
*War in Iran…
*Jane Whately’s brother, Guy, grandson Aaron, granddaughter Lidia; Jane’s niece and family,
Kiera, Evelyn, Becky and Corry; Joe Crabtree, liver failure…
*Chris Gilling has a broken neck…
*Gilling’s daughter’s, Kelly, family, mental illness…
*Susan Dunklee for her feet…
*Susan Chappel’s friend, Annette and family…
*Judy Penney’s sister, Joann, son Dan and his wife Gen…
*People of Ukraine/Russia; in the Middle-East…
*Prayers for those who are have problems in their lives…

I invite you to open your family Bible for this week’s Lectionary Readings,
The First Week of Pentecost:
Acts 2.1-21 or Numbers 11.24-30 and Psalm 104.24-35
I Corinthians 12.3-13; John 20.19-23 or John 7.37-39;

LET US PRAY:
Eternal God, whose word silences the shouts of the mighty;
Quiet within us every voice but your own.
Speak to us through the suffering and death of Jesus Christ
That by the power of your Holy Spirit
We may receive grace to show Christ’s love
In lives given to your service. Amen

PSALM 104.24-34, 35b

O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
There is the sea, great and wide; creeping things innumerable are there,
living things both small and great.
There go the ships and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it.
These all look to you to give them their food in due season;
when you give to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand,
they are filled with good things.
When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die
and return to their dust.
When you send forth your spirit, (or breath) they are created,
and you renew the face of the ground.
May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in his works—
who looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke.
I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the LORD.
Bless the LORD, O my soul.
Praise the LORD!

HOLY WISDOM, HOLY WORDS
FOR THE PEOPLE OF GOD

For all the clamoring that humanity is the end all of creation, this psalm causes us to take a moment sit back and reconsider God’s gracious gift of all Creation. As we are moving into Pentecost, to remember and celebrate the day that God’s Spirit was poured upon all Creation. It was not just for the disciples and witnesses of the event, but an on-going presence of God since God created the heavens and the earth. I sit here as I write and watch the wind (God’s Breath) blowing the leaves and trees around. I thank and praise God. “How manifold are your works! In your wisdom you have made them all.” v. 24

The psalmist writes long before science, physics, Newton, Galileo’ telescope, Darwin’s study and revolutionary approach to understanding the world around us. Yes, we know that we have sunrises and sunsets because the planet turns and revolves around the sun. We know when we look up into the night sky, the specks of lights are but new stars and many different galaxies. How do we as humans compare?

Though the psalmist knew nothing of Darwin, Newton, Galileo and all the scientists who followed, as well as their wonderful and visionary work, the psalmist could be anticipating the kinds of questions that their work raises. From a time long before any of the modern understanding came about, we are called to consider what even now the physicists affirm: Life is a mystery, and we must take our best guess and leap.

From a commentary on the psalm, Nibs Stroupe writes: “In our wondering and in our wandering in this twenty-first century, the psalmist asks us to consider an ancient answer to the fundamental questions of life, questions that each generation must consider and answer for themselves. This psalm is not a naïve, “all is wonderful” song, but rather a song at a more basic level, a song about where each of us lives. The psalmist affirms that at the very ground of all existence is a powerful and generous and gracious God. At the heart of our very hearts is the Spirit of God who knows our names. It is the same Spirit who called out those women and men to proclaim the mighty acts of God on Pentecost. The psalmist asks us to engage this God on a personal and a sacramental level, the Spirit of God flows through all and in all, in ways that are both available to us on a daily basis and beyond our capacity to comprehend…If we have ears to hear, eyes to see, and hearts to receive, we will find God at the center of our lives and at the center of all of life. Our response? To praise God as long as we have breath.”

LET US PRAY
*For the Prayer Focus of the Week: PATTI DAWSON…
*Birthdays, anniversaries, and other days of joy…
*For answered prayers…
*For thanksgiving of all gifts of life…
*For all those who keep themselves healthy by staying home bound…
*All who struggle with daily issues and other physical ailments…
*For our congregation…
*The heard and the unheard…
*The known and the unknown…
*The spoken and the unspoken…
*The seen and the unseen…
We lift all these prayers to you, O Lord…

05/17/2026

MOVING FORWARD, ONWARD AND UPWARD
MAY 17, 2026
SEVENTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
PSALM 100
EZEKIEL 34.20-24
MATTHEW 25.31-46

We have come to the end of our journey of the liturgical calendar for the Season of Easter. Though phrases just as “The Tomb is Empty,” “Christ is Risen” can still be used and heard throughout the year. Next week we start the new season of Pentecost with the spirit breaking forth upon the people. Though, I do have a nagging question in the back of my mind, does the changing of the seasons affect you personally? Do you feel the personal growth within your spiritual life? Does the changing of the Liturgical seasons help you feel a closer connection with the Divine?

It was seven weeks ago that we read the story of Mary Magdeline and the other women coming to the locked room hiding the male disciples, declaring “I have seen the Lord. He is going ahead of you to Galilee”; we heard of the invitation from Jesus to Thomas to touch and believe; we ran back to Jerusalem with Cleopas and the unnamed companion from their dining room in Emmaus; last week we explored the home as a place of peace and Jesus’ commandment to love as he has loved. That is the commandment we carry and live with regardless of the liturgical seasons, to love one another.

In today’s lessons, we hear of a warning from Ezekiel and one of the last teachable moments in Matthew concerning how our lives will be measured at the end of time. I invite you to read the entire 34 chapter of Ezekiel, who is writing concerning shepherds and the care of the sheep. The one who feeds and protects the sheep. The warning is for all who care for others, particularly spiritually, emotionally as well as physically. Any person who is in the caring business should sit-up and take notice, particularly pastors, teachers and officers of the organized body of the church. Ezekiel does not stop at the shepherds’ roles, but also the individuals who “push, butt and scatter.” The individuals who stir up trouble for everyone else. Even the sheep are judged. Of course, Ezekiel, as does all shepherd stories in the scriptures proclaim God as the One True Shepherd.

In Matthew’s parable, at the end of time, all people are called together. Does this mean every person throughout space and time? We are not sure. The people, or sheep and goats in the parable, are separated into two different groups. One group is praised, while the other group is condemned. After being told the criteria for the two groups, they are judged on how they care, feed, give drink, saw as a stranger and welcomed them, naked and gave you clothing; sick or in prison and visited them? Both groups answer the same way, “When did we see you hungry, thirsty, naked, a stranger, sick or imprisoned?” Both groups are surprised by the answer. The group that was praised, lived their lives, though without even realizing they were caring for the “least of these, you did it to me.” The second group thought they were always doing such work and were told of their failure to follow through.

How did we end up in one group or the other? Was it entirely on an individual basis, or as an organized group? What about the ones who helped here and there, but not to all situations? Do we get bonus points for being in service groups like Rotary, Kiwanis, Elks and Eagle as well as all the other service groups? If we did not join any group, does that mean we deserve negative points? What if a person like Scrooge before verses after his conversion? Does it come down to who is saved and those not saved? Maybe it all comes down to the matter of the heart, how is/was the heart involved with the actions? Where the actions done grudgingly, or with an open heart full of love?

For me, and speaking only for me, I am glad that I have very limited power over who is in and who is out in heaven, that is WAY above my paygrade. But I lean towards a very loving God, who’s heart and soul are open; who created the world out of an abundance of love. Like a bubbling fountain, God is love and overflows with love. I lean towards the idea that God so loves the world, that Jesus came to save the world, not just individuals.

So, where do we go from here? How do we move forward, onward and upward from this point as we move into the Season of Pentecost, celebrating that God’s spirit continually surrounds us, fills us and flow through us. We come to walk beside everyone, with love. We act with the gifts and energy we have at any one particular moment in time. We use the Spirit of the Divine that is all around us, that completely fills us, and share said spirit as it flows from one to another, be that a human two legged, an animal four legged, the creation that flies or swims, creation that shares it shade and fragrance, and refreshing water to drink. As we prepare for the Pentecost Season next week, one does not need to wait for any particular day to catch the Spirit of God that is constantly with us, as we share it all as it bubbles and spills out of us, particularly with the least of these.

The First Presbyterian Church of Gaylord

06/14/2026

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