Hey! It's a gray sortof day but keep looking up.
See Jesus, Savior.
Cloud and sky compete
with sun. Palm tree frond tops sway,
and whisper, "Sh-h-h!" "Sh-h-h!"
Calm. Fix your eyes on
Christ. Have faith. Have joy, despite
the day. See Jesus.
Thank You, Heavenly
Father, we keep looking up
to You. Gray Day thoughts.
~ ERC November 2025 ~
Based on Hebrews 12:2 ESV
Sing, Lead Me to the Cross, along with Hillsong.
Those of us who belong to Jesus have a secret. He is always with us so we are never truly alone.
Jesus Himself could've felt similarly. He told His disciples that when His hour comes, they would ...
" ...be scattered, each to his own home, and leave me alone ..." (John 16:32 ESV).
Then He continued with this consoling thought.
"Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with Me."
He gives us the comforting assurance,
"I will never leave you nor forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5 ESV).
We can tuck these promises into our hearts. The next time we feel like people have scattered and scurried away from us, out of touch, out of reach, out of mind, not responding to our phone calls or messages, we can remember,
"Jesus is with me!"
We can turn to Him and have a chat instead. Then we can be of good cheer.
~ ERC November 2025 ~
Based on John 16:31-33 ESV.
Sing, Refrain: No, Never Alone, No Never Alone, along with Justus.
Where was their Jesus?
They couldn't find Him and they wept and lamented. They tried to figure out what had happened. It had all been such a bombshell. Their Jesus had been invincible and performed miracles and rose people up from the dead. Yet now He was dead and his body had disappeared!
It was a mini-object lesson, so to speak of the here and now. Jesus had told them He was going away for a while but,
" ... again a litte while and you will see Me" (John 16:19 ESV)!
When the disciples and Mary and the other women found Jesus, or rather when He had found them in His resurrected state, they rejoiced. Their ...
" ... sorrow [turned] into joy" (vs 20).
And they spent forty days with Him before He ascended back into Heaven to His Father. This "going away" has become thousands of years on. Our hearts join the disciples holding the promise that we will see Him again (see Revelation 22:20).
We can keep our ears open wanting to hear His call to
"come up" (1 Thessalonians 4:14-18 ESV).
We can keep this hope in our hearts and encourage one another with it and let it energize us to do His work until He comes. We can work so that others will have this hope and joy too.
Lord Jesus, we long to see You again. We look forward to that time when You call us, all Your children, up to be with You forever. Turn our sorrow into joy. We await this full joy. Come, Lord Jesus. We ask in Your name. Amen.
~ ERC November 2025 ~
Based on John 16:15-24 ESV.
Sing, How Great Thou Art, along with Hadleigh Baptist Church.
“When life gets tough, the tough get going.”
But often life gets super tough and the tough do falter. I don’t think I would fault them for it.
Even Jesus acknowledged that the disciples would face heat. He spent patient hours of careful “last words” for them that Passover Feast day. In fact, in John chapters 13-15 we have seen some of what He had been telling them. There’d be pruning and persecution and hate, to name some. There was encouragement to “abide in Him.”
Now in John 16 and verse 1, more carefully curated words,
“I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away” (ESV).
Whether it’s from ‘the heat’ or from apathy in our day and age, let’s keep all Jesus’ words in our hearts. Let’s hold tightly on to Him, day after day.
Jesus spoke all those wonderful words of life for a reason - so we would not fall away. We need to remember these words just as Jesus exhorted the disciples so long ago.
Granted these things, despite knowing they will happen, can still be shocking to the system when it does descend upon a person. It’s like knowing, for instance, that your grandfather is very ill in the hospital and that he is breathing his last breaths and the end of his life is near. Yet when he does expire, the jolt and shock is still there. Knowing may have padded that reaction some, nevertheless it could still be devastating.
Similarly knowing of Jesus’ words of warning and how to counter what would come, likely shielded them some. We do know from reading the rest of the Scriptures, especially Acts, and from what history records, that the disciples (minus Judas Iscariot), did not fall away. Yes, they had set backs briefly, but they did not fall away.
Jesus words had been the anchor of their souls. I believe the same can keep us cleaving to the Lord’s side as well. We may falter some with the jolts and shocks life throws at us, but let’s cling on to Jesus.
Easier said than done but let’s pray for ourselves and for those around the world who do suffer intense persecution. Pray that they will not fall away and they will have the courage to stand firm and abide in Christ through it all. May we each remember Jesus’ words.
Jesus, help them and help us too. Amen.
~ ERC November 2025 ~
Based on John 16:1-4 ESV.
Sing, Christ Our Hope in Life and Death, along with Keith and Kristyn Getty.
For our family, we began attending about 33 years ago. During those early years of our stay our children were still very young, babies, in fact. Many of the other members also had babies and toddlers and so these children had happy times splashing about in small “swimming pools,” attending each others’ birthday parties, and so on, besides, of course, eventually attending Sunday School and youth groups together.
We lived three rounds in this place. Babies the first time, then after a gap of several years, we returned when the children were in their teens. We stayed a handful of years, attending this same church, then moved away, thinking, well, that’s it, we won’t be back except to maybe visit.
Surprise of all surprises, the Lord brought us back a third time! This time we are empty nesters. The children are grown and working elsewhere. Once again, we are attending this same church.
Many things have changed but there is a constant. We are still seeing many of the same faces, those who have continued all these years with faithful service and living for the Lord. They have seen how the Lord has been faithful to them too throughout the past 50 years.
As I was reading John 15 today it struck me that the disciples who were constant and faithful to Jesus for those three years since He’d called them to, “Follow me,” were now being called Jesus’ friends. And He is able to rely on them, He’s trusting them, to be His witnesses,
“... because you have been with me from the beginning …” (John 15:27 ESV)
He told them.
They had been ‘abiding’ and He had had to prune them here and there (see John 15:4). Now He was expecting fruit. He loved them and He was telling them He would lay down His life for them. If they stayed and bore fruit, there would also be persecution, as the world would hate them. It was just like how the world was treating Jesus and by association, they’d be treated.
Still, they had Jesus’ assurances and care. He’d send them a Helper and Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit who would help them to “bear witness” about Jesus.
Why would Jesus reveal all this to them? It was, Jesus told them,
“ … because you have been with me from the beginning” (John 15:27).
So too, in which ever local church we may find ourselves ask not what they can give you, but what you can give to Jesus in this particular church*.
Individuals, as well as the church as a whole, may well be ‘pruned’ and persecuted but will we ‘abide,’ will we faithfully continue to serve the Lord and live as Jesus would?
Let’s pray we will as we too have the Holy Spirit. Let’s continue to give good and faithful witness to our Lord and Savior who has faithfully done so much for us. We love Him because He first loved us (see 1 John 4:19 ESV).
Let’s remain in Him and be fruitful.
~ ERC November 2025 ~
Based on John 15 ESV.
Sing, The Jesus Way, along with Phil Wickham.
*reference - a take off of John F. Kennedy’s 1961 famous statement in his inaugural address.
I’ve just read them through four or five times; a bit fast then at slower paces. Verse 14 I read aloud 3x, phrase by phrase. It almost makes me weep because of the background scene. That is, Jesus knew what was coming, because He knows everything, and we know because it is history to us but the disciples themselves were in bewilderment as it was current events unfolding for them.
In fact, in Jesus’ tender and kind statement in v. 29, He tells them,
“And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe” (KJV).
I chose the KJV for this verse as I feel the pathos more. Or maybe it had to do with having memorized this chapter as a teenager and in this version, so it feels ‘like home’. Whatever, Jesus’ loving care is evidenced here, I believe.
Then vs 27, sorry I’m flipping back and forth a bit, is a crowning jewel, and the one to read slowly a few times in a row …
“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (ESV).
Peace but
“... not as the world gives.”
In a war-torn world, people are constantly seeking peace. Peace accords, peace treaties, and peace agreements that are easily broken the instant dry kindling is sparked; seemingly the order of the day. It's short-lived, man made peace, sadly and devastatingly so!
But the peace Jesus gives passes all understanding and can keep our hearts and minds in Him despite mammoth and miniscule disturbances of our circumstances (see Philippians 4:6 & 7). And too, would it for the disciples who as yet did not realize the huge cement truck hurtling towards them (so to speak).
Neither do we know what’s coming to us in our life. We may have inklings and a sense of impending doom and troubles but mooring ourselves to the peace Jesus gives will keep us from having troubled hearts and from being afraid.
Easier said than done, but let’s put these into our minds and hearts now before any monumental occurrences occur in our lives. Let’s keep Jesus’ assurances and loving care in our hearts and be at peace.
Father God, life on earth can be, well, earth-shattering. But your children are glad and thankful for the peace that Jesus assures us of. That’s Your peace You brokered through Jesus. May we ever be conscious of this state of being we can have through Him as we navigate through the storms of life. Only in You and Your Son Jesus can we have this steadying and sustaining peace anchoring our souls. Thank You, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
~ ERC October 2025 ~
Based on John 14:21-31 KJV/ESV
Sing, Peace! Peace! Wonderful Peace, along with Vaigle Brothers.
I don't recall anyone ever washing mine. It would feel weird to me, I think. Especially since I can't stand anyone messing with my feet, unless of course, it's for reflexology.
Once upon a time at a gathering of sisters who had created a sort of indoor fun fair there was such opportunity. There was a table for nail polishing, a photo booth with dress-up props, and more. Among the stations that seemed to be rather popular, was the reflexology corner.
It was quite an experience to be the 'reflexologist'-of-the day. I hadn't had any formal training at all. I was just copying what I'd had done for me by professionals.
This was just 'for fun' but the reactions of the ladies who came for their foot rub was so touching. There was actually someone who would touch their feet that were in whatever state they were at the time! They were touched in their hearts by it. It turned out to be quite one of the best times. The ladies had good chats, not gossipy ones but that which showed genuine camaraderie.
It could have been a time to pray for the one having their foot rub respectively but I'd lost the opportunity to 'wash their feet' in this way. It is a regret from that time. Hopefully, just the actions helped some one of them towards the Lord anyway.
So I think Simon Peter felt it was weird to have Jesus wash his and the other disciples' feet. I really get a kick out of what he says. It always makes me laugh.
"Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head" (John 13:9 ESV).
Peter had likely missed the point but I wonder if Jesus smiled in amusement. But He did graciously reply. Actually it was a very serious moment as there was a traitor in their midst. Yet Jesus had washed all of the twelve's feet.
I believe there are ways to wash peoples' feet even if it is not in the literal sense. To show hospitality to someone in need, to lend a helping hand here and there to fill in a gap and so on. No doubt you can think of countless ways and not expecting return favors.
When we show our humility, profound care and love for others, we are doing as Jesus would do. Jesus, our Master and Lord, set our example of "true fasting" and Christian living (see Isaiah 58:6-11). Let's treat one another similarly so that
"by this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" said Jesus (John 13:35 ESV).
Let's do so in Jesus' name.
~ ERC October 2025 ~
Based on John 13:1-20, 35 and especially vs 9 ESV.
Sing, A New Commandment, along with Chet Valley Churches.
