Grace Presbyterian Church of Silicon Valley

Sermon from David Jones on February 26, 2023

Matthew 7:9-11

9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

Today's meditation was written and read by Caroline Chen, produced by Jess Springer, with music by Michael Anderson. Format inspired by Lectio365.

Psalm 18:30-32; Zephaniah 3:14-17; Psalm 34:4,8

Today’s meditation was written and read by Esther Zhao, produced by Jess Springer, with music by Michael Anderson. Format inspired by Lectio365.

Friday, February 24, 2023 - The Loving Father by Grace Presbyterian Church of SV

Today is Thursday the 23rd of February and this week we are focusing our prayers on the Fatherhood of God as demonstrated in the Lord’s Prayer when Jesus prays: “Our Father Who Is In Heaven.”

Call to Worship: Psalm 68:4-6 (ESV)

Sing to God, sing praises to his name;
lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts;

his name is the Lord;
exult before him!
Father of the fatherless and protector of widows
is God in his holy habitation.
God settles the solitary in a home;
he leads out the prisoners to prosperity,
but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.

Passage: Ephesians 1: 3-14

Blessing: Jeremiah 29:11-12
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.

Credits: Today’s meditation was written and read by Ethan Chiu, produced by Jess Springer, with music by Michael Anderson.

Today is Ash Wednesday, the 22nd of February, and the first day of the Season of Lent. For the next forty days leading up to Easter, we will take time for reflection and repentance, using the Lord’s Prayer as our guide. For more information on this series, we recommend listening to our previous episode titled: An Introduction and Invitation.

Call to Worship: Lamentations 3:25-26

The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,

to the one who seeks him;

it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

Passage: Matthew 6:6-34

Blessing: Isaiah 58:11

The LORD will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail.

Credits: Today’s meditation was written, read produced by Jess Springer, with music by Michael Anderson. Format inspired by Lectio365.

For many, Lent can carry a lot of religious baggage. A season of self-denial seems masochistic, joyless, and arbitrary. Why focus so much time and energy on repentance and self-denial, when we’ve been given forgiveness and freedom in Christ?

And yet, we practice self-denial in other areas of our lives when it suits our desires and goals. We diet to lose a few pounds, cut down screen time at night to sleep better, and choose to spend less money on entertainment to save for a down payment. When it comes to optimizing our lives and realizing our goals, we recognize self-denial can be a useful tool.

But during the season of Lent, we do not see self-denial as a tool to self-actualize, but an invitation to practice being in the presence of God. We deny ourselves a little time to do what we want – in order to explore and pray for what God wants.

For 40 days, we practice taking on the mind of Christ: who, for the joy set before him, endured the cross (Hebrews 12:2). So we, for the joy set before us at Easter, the resurrection of Jesus and God’s promise of eternity with Him, we too, endure the 40-day journey to the cross.

This Lenten season, we’ll be meditating on the Lord’s Prayer, where Jesus teaches us how to pray with the kingdom in mind. Each week we will explore one of the seven petitions, and each day we will take time to repent together and reflect on a passage of Scripture.

We hope these short meditations written and read by members of our community will help us bring our honest selves before our Heavenly Father who knows us and loves us, and help us practice praying as Jesus Taught Us to Pray.

As Jesus Taught Us to Pray: An Introduction And Invitation by Grace Presbyterian Church of SV

Wednesday, February 22, 2023 - Ash Wednesday by Grace Presbyterian Church of SV

Prov. 13:20; 17:9,17; 18:24; 20:6; 25:17; 25:20; 26:18-19; 27:5-6,9,17

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Prov.+13%3A20%3B+17%3A9%2C17%3B+18%3A24%3B+20%3A6%3B+25%3A17%3B+25%3A20%3B+26%3A18-19%3B+27%3A5-6%2C9%2C17&version=ESV