PEARL STREET UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

“The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” — Psalm 145:18 (NRSVUE) What does it mean to pray “in truth” ? Think about conversations we have every day. Sometimes they’re filled with polite platitudes: “How about this weather?” or “Did you catch the Patriots game?” These exchanges are fine for passing moments, but they don’t build deep, lasting relationship. Real closeness comes when we move beyond surface talk into honesty—sharing joys, struggl

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people." — Ephesians 6:18 (NIV) When you wake in the morning, you say your prayers, giving thanks for the gift of another day, and lifting those on the church prayer list. As you head to work, you ask for God’s help with whatever challenges await. An ambulance speeds past with lights flashing and siren sounding, and without

“A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.” —Proverbs 11:25 (NIV) It has taken me years to appreciate what it means for a generous person to prosper. Oh, I understood the content—that we are blessed in our giving—but I lacked belief in its validity. Though I had faith in Christ to save my sins, I struggled with relinquishing what was so freely given. Growing up, I witnessed my parents tithing faithfully, and though we were never wealthy, we a

“Keep awake, therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.” (Matthew 24:42, NRSVUE) We spend money on our automobiles, our homes, and our lives, planning for the unplanned. We insure our cars against accidents or stray stones hitting the windshield. We protect our homes against fire, flood, and theft. We have medical and dental coverage, and even life insurance. We find a way to protect and preserve everything we value. We insure the things of our material r

“Surely God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid, for the Lord God is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation.” — Isaiah 12:2 (NRSVUE) There are moments in life when we feel unworthy of God’s love, or perhaps unaware that we even need saving. Isaiah’s song reminds us that salvation is not something we earn—it is something God becomes for us. In verse 1, the prophet acknowledges God’s anger, but then marvels at how that anger turns into comfort. T

“You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32, CEB) In the legal drama A Few Good Men, Jack Nicholson’s character, under prosecutorial examination, shouts in agitation, “You can’t handle the truth!” It’s a line that has echoed through popular culture, capturing the idea that truth can feel too harsh, too unsettling to face. Yet Jesus turns that idea upside down. His truth is not meant to overwhelm us but to liberate us. It is not hidden in shadows or

“I thank my God always for you, because of God’s grace that was given to you in Christ Jesus.”  —1 Corinthians 1:4 (CEB) On this day of Thanksgiving, Paul’s words echo in my heart: “ I thank my God always for you.”  Whether we have known each other for years or only recently crossed paths, your presence is a blessing. Each relationship, each encounter, is a reminder that God’s grace is not abstract but embodied in the lives of those around us. I think of family members whose

“Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.” – Psalm 68:19 (NIV) Of all things, this morning, after reading this verse, I started thinking about commas. Yes, those pauses within a sentence that give what we are writing meaning and inflection. If you were to read my first drafts of anything, you’d quickly know I struggle with placing them, often using too many. They need to be placed in just the right places. And sometimes, commas make all the diffe

“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be put into your lap. For the measure we give will be the measure we get back.” —Luke 6:38 (CEB) I once saw an illustration that has stayed with me. Imagine someone holding an empty glass jar. Then they begin dropping in pebble-sized stones. These stones represent the big gifts we give: love, forgiveness, kindness.   Next, they pour in fine sand. The grains slip into the

"He said to them, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.'" — Mark 10:14 (NIV) We are all likely familiar with this Bible story. We've heard it in Sunday school, and we've sung it—"Jesus loves the little children." It's a gentle, compassionate story, complete with pictures of children sitting on Jesus' knees. It's easy to lose track of what happened earlier, though in verse 13 the disciples' actions that ca

"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful." — Colossians 4:2 (NIV) If you are reading this, you are familiar with the idea of “devotions.” It is the time we take each day to read and study the Word, which is good. But Paul’s use of the word “Devote” in Colossians carries a deeper weight.  The Greek verb proskartereite means to persist, to cling, to continue steadfastly. It’s not about a brief thought or a short reading—it’s about a life anchored in prayer. Pa

"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you." — Isaiah 43:2 (CEB) As I visited with my mother in the nursing facility, one of the joys we shared was music. With an old hymnal in hand, we turned page after page, reliving memories through songs of faith. One of those hymns was This World Is Not My Home . Its refrain reminds us

Jesus looked at them carefully and said, “It’s impossible for human beings. But all things are possible for God.” — Matthew 19:26 (CEB) In Matthew 19, a young man approaches Jesus with a sincere question: “What good thing must I do to have eternal life?” His earnestness is palpable, but Jesus gently redirects the conversation. The question itself is flawed—not because righteousness is unimportant, but because eternal life is not earned. It is received.  Jesus invites the man

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; don’t rely on your own intelligence. Know him in all your paths, and he will keep your ways straight.” — Proverbs 3:5–6 (CEB) When our boys were younger, summer vacation meant loading up the Sienna minivan and driving from Massachusetts to visit family in southern Indiana and St. Louis. With snacks packed and Harry Potter CDs ready, we’d head south, then west—winding through the hills of New York and Pennsylvania, dipping into West Virg

“So she named the Lord who spoke to her, ‘You are El-Roi’; for she said, ‘Have I really seen God and remained alive after seeing him?’” — Genesis 16:13 (NRSV) This verse introduces an uncomfortable story in the Bible—Hagar’s. A servant in Abram and Sarai’s household, Hagar is drawn into their desperation for a child. When Sarai gives her to Abram, Hagar conceives—but instead of honor, she receives contempt. Sarai mistreats her. Abram abdicates responsibility. And so, Hagar ru

“May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” — Psalm 19:14 (NIV) This verse often serves as a Prayer for Illumination—a whispered plea before Scripture is proclaimed. Yet Psalm 19 offers far more than a prelude; it is a symphony of divine revelation. The psalm begins with creation’s silent witness (vv. 1–6). The heavens declare God’s glory without speech, and yet their message resounds. God is not conf

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” —Psalm 46:1 (NIV) This past week has been heavy with holy farewells. We celebrated the life of our oldest living saint, just days shy of her 103rd birthday. Days later, I attended a funeral mass for a friend mourning her mother. Then, another beloved friend transitioned to her heavenly rest. The grief is layered, the ache real. And yet, in the midst of sorrow, the comfort of the promise in today’s verse whispe

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8 (NIV) Communication is never one-size-fits-all. We speak, illustrate, embody—and still, sometimes, the message doesn’t land. God knows this frustration. The prophets spoke, miracles unfolded, commandments were given, and still the people missed the point. So, God distilled it: not a new law, but a return to the heart of

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" — Philippians 4:4 (NIV) In reading the verse for today, Paul's exhortation to rejoice, my thoughts turned to the Psalter refrain for Psalm 100 in our Methodist hymnal:  “Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice, give thanks and sing.”  While we often sing this song at Thanksgiving, its message—and Paul’s epistle to the church in Philippi—are not limited to a single day. They are invitations to a way of life. Psalm 100 calls us into

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” —1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV) You’ve probably seen it on a bumper or a truck flap: Keep On Truckin’. It was born in the 1930s blues—Blind Boy Fuller’s Truckin’ My Blues Away— and, in the 1960s, revived in counterculture comics by Robert Crumb, it became a kind of anthem for pressing on—no matter the road, no matter the load.  It’s a phrase that evokes motion, grit, and a kind of cheerful d