Recently, Clarendon hosted a District meeting of ministers and members to learn about the Viriniga Conference Call to Action in which we are asked to look closely at ourselves and church in how we answer Christ call to “make Disciples for the transformation of the world.” How do we align ourselves with Christ to become relavent and important to our community?

Five areas that the Conference will be looking at over the next three years to determine whether we are a thriving church is our:
1. Worship Attendance
2. Small group studies
3. Number of people coming to us through their profession of faith
4. Number of people who are involved in Mission Work through CUMC
5. Dollar amount we spend on Mission.

We are excited to be apart of this church-wide effort to determine our Vitality as a congregation in the community and thrive as a body of Christ in Arlington. To learn more about this iniative, check the conference website (vaumc.org) with link to Vital Congregations.

“The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, “Sir, we remember what that impostor said while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ Therefore command the tomb to be made secure until the third day; otherwise his disciples may go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has been raised from the dead . . .’” Matthew 27:62-64, NRSV
Can’t you just see the Marx Brothers playing the Pharisees on the big screen? “Well, y’know, Pilate,” says Groucho, raising his eyebrows while chomping on his trademark cigar, “that impostor will try to fool us again. We bettah outsmart him foyst.” Meanwhile, his brothers jump, dance, and honk in ecstatic agreement behind him. I can laugh at the thought of this scene, but then a new thought emerges: could I be the one who is playing the Pharisee—in my own life?!
Although we don’t actually crucify troublemakers nowadays, we do have some 21st century means of crucifixion that we apply in our families, workplaces, and churches: stubbornly hold our ground against someone’s ideas and input; tell others about a problem we have with someone, but never actually bring it up with the individual; avoid someone whom we find irritating, ignoring his or her friendly overtures; withhold forgiveness from someone who has wronged us.
The scripture above cites a “day of Preparation.” Lent is the time that as a Church Body we prepare our hearts and minds for the coming of the Lord. I confess that I have glided through many Lenten seasons and arrived at Easter Sunday realizing that I had spent this holy time as a “tomb dweller,” missing out on the Gift that God desires most for me: the indwelling of His Holy Spirit into my heart, mind, and soul. This year I will not guard the tomb. Instead, I will allow the light of Christ to illuminate the dark, empty places in me so that I may produce good fruit and exude New Life!

Jesus, I wholeheartedly embrace the New Life You have given to me. Let my thoughts and actions demonstrate this every day, in every way. Amen.

Marci Schiller
Additional Readings: Ps 31:1-4, 15,16; Job 14:1-14; 1 Pet 4:1-8; Matt 27:57-66

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16
“And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACHTANI?” which is translated, “My GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAST THOU FORSAKEN ME?” Mark 15:34
While having a coffee chat with my pastor many years ago, the week before my son’s first Easter, we spoke of the significance of Easter and of our children. Evoking Dr. Seuss, which was becoming a large part of my current reading, I told him, “I could not do it. I would not do it.” I was, of course, referring to the sacrifice that our Heavenly Father provided in the form of His “only begotten Son,” our Savior Jesus Christ.
During the pastor’s sermon that Easter Sunday, he described the story in Genesis 22, of the sacrifice that Abraham was prepared to make in the form of his only son Isaac. In obedience to God, Abraham was prepared to give him as a burnt offering at Moriah, going so far as to bind him, lay him on the altar, and grasp the knife that he would use to kill his son. Can you imagine what Isaac must have been thinking, as his father looked down at him and prepared to end his life? Miraculously, the angel of the Lord intervened and provided the ram that would become the sacrifice, telling Abraham “for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” (Genesis 22:12) More than two millennia later, Jesus surely understood the situation that Isaac had faced, and the question shouted from the cross in His last moments show the full realization of the requirement of His sacrifice.
I am richly blessed in many ways, but one of the greatest is the blessing of a son who bears my blood, my image and my faith. But I am also human, and our human nature is selfish, weak, and short sighted, characteristics that separate us from the perfection of our God. Considering God’s sacrificial challenge to Abraham and God’s use of Jesus Christ as the sacrificial Lamb: an only son was the cost…I doubt that I could do it.

Praise and Glory to God, that He was willing to sacrifice His only Son so that we could be saved from our human nature. Thank you Lord, for bearing the pain of seeing your Son on the cross, so that we could be saved.

Mike Robles
Additional Readings: Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Psalm 22; Hebrews 10:16-25; John 19:1-19:42

“For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” Luke 11:10
When I was a little boy I was always excited about going to church. My little brother and I would get dressed in our suits and go to Sunday school. I sang in the children’s choir and served as an altar boy and an acolyte. My parents had many personal issues that were very disruptive to our household, so the church was a place of respite for me. In 1959, at the age of twelve, my life changed dramatically. On Good Friday, my brother was killed in an accident. Everyone in our family was devastated. I could not understand how God could let such a thing happen. Why would he take my brother at such a young age? Slowly, I began to pull away from the church. Within the walls of our house, life was violent and terrifying. Then, I watched my parents going to church every Sunday as if their lives were perfect. I saw them as hypocrites. My own joy was gone. God had deserted me and left me to fend for myself. I became “an occasional Christian.” I refused to go to church on a regular basis and when I did, it was only to suit someone else’s wishes.
After two years of college, I enlisted in the Marines Corps. I spent 14 months in combat in Vietnam where I was wounded and hospitalized twice. While there, I prayed but I was practicing “Foxhole religion.” I would say something akin to “Oh God, if you get me out of this mess I promise you I will…” On return to the States, that was soon forgotten. I got married and graduated from college. While I thought everything was moving along fairly well, my personal life was starting a slide that I didn’t understand. I believed that I was in control and I could fix the mess I was creating. At the end of my rope, a person who befriended me said: “Look, you have tried everything in the world to no avail, why don’t you ask God for help?” I was skeptical, but my friend was right. My way had not worked. I began to ask God for his help and grace. I prayed every day and began to go to church again. Slowly but surely my life began to change. I had joy in my heart once again-not despair and hopelessness. Today I thank God every day for loving me enough to bring me back.

Dear Lord, thank you for always loving me, even when I turned away from you.

Paul Gibert
Additional Readings: Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19; Exod. 12:1-42; 1Cor 11:23-26; John 13:1-17

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us.” Hebrews 12:1 New Living Translation (NLT)
My mom’s 93rd birthday is today! When she was in her late 50s she decided to learn to drive. Then she learned to bowl and bowled on a league until she was 90. She loves competition and she is still a fierce contender in board games, in games of corn hole and Wii, especially with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
When I read today’s scripture my thoughts turned to my mom. She has attended the same Methodist church all of her life. In all of her years she has run the race, with faith, through many joys and sorrows. She has always lived with optimism and with the hope of meeting Jesus sometime down the road. She is an inspiration to our family.
Think about all the events that have happened in my mother’s generation. We wonder how they managed to deal with the deprivations of the Great Depression and World War II, lose or crippling of friends and loved ones in war and peace time, the erosion of families, reduction of income, failing health, loss of independence. What keeps them going? Why are they still optimistic? They keep their eyes on Jesus: “He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterward. Now he is seated in the place of highest honor beside God’s throne in heaven. Think about all he endured when sinful people did such terrible things to him, so that you don’t become weary and give up.” Hebrews 12:2b-3 (NLT)

Dear Lord, thank you for the example our elders have set. They have surely run with endurance the race that you have set before them. Let us all keep our eyes set on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish. Amen

Gloria Ruddick
Additional Readings: Psalm 70, Isaiah 50:4-9a, John 13:21-32

“Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And if worry can’t accomplish a little thing like that, what’s the use of worrying over bigger things?” Luke 12:25-26
My senior year of college was a great time I will always cherish. I was a carefree senior at the top of my game. When the first semester came to a close I had to register for my final classes and I only needed a few more in order to graduate. I was hoping for an easy schedule. To my great dismay, that was not to be. In order to fulfill my requirements for graduation I still needed one more business elective. Auditing was the hardest class in the department, for me at least, and it was the only one I could fit on my schedule. I knew that Professor Yandow was a good teacher so I hoped for the best. Not long after the class began I started to think the textbook was written in a foreign language. I went to Professor Yandow for additional help; a first for me in any class. Still I was worried, after a poor midterm grade, my fears grew larger. Could one class prevent me from graduating? Would I spend another year at school because I’m not very good at scheduling classes, or accounting? As the final exam approached, I found myself studying harder then I ever had before. By then I had a job lined up following graduation and there was even more on the line than just finishing school. In one of my final sessions I told Professor Yandow of my job and future plans, which did not include accounting in any form.
I was hesitant to ask God to get me out of a situation that I knew I had created on my own. Hesitations aside, I went into the campus chapel and asked Him for the courage to be a part of His plan. Then I went to take the test. As the 200-question test hit my desk I discovered the true meaning of fear. Afterwards, I handed in my test, shook the professor’s hand, thanked him, and left the classroom. I spent that weekend with friends and family preparing for, and praying for, graduation. When I returned to campus I wanted to check on my grade, but I was told that Professor Yandow was away. I never did learn what happened on that final exam, and all anyone ever told me was “you are eligible for graduation.”
Since then I have come to realize what God’s plan was. I needed to learn how to excel in an academic world I had avoided until then. That class taught me that when you embrace God’s will there is no need to fear His plan. Now, when I feel fear settling in, I take a deep breath, thank God for the chance to learn another lesson, and ask that he teach me quickly.

God of power, calm my mind. Let me rest in You. Ease my anxiety, and let me simply be- quiet and peaceful in Your arms. Amen.

Adam Kirkwood
Additional Readings: Psalms 6, 94, Jere 15:10-21, Phil 3:15-21, John 12:20-26

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach. And it will be given him.” James 1:5
I have often thought how wonderful it would be to have a better understanding of the ways of the world and of life. How desirable it would be to be at peace with all things that come my way in life, including those that seem to not make sense or that may be adverse.
As I was considering the search for wisdom as a subject for this devotional, I received an article by a friend of mine, Michael Gentile, which was right on point. In his article, The Christian Life of Prayer, “What would they do if they found it?” Michael stated that “Recognizing our own ignorance is the beginning of wisdom. We shouldn’t seek, as did Job, for an explanation of God’s motives and intent in every disastrous event. That isn’t wisdom, that’s just soothsaying…. The better thing would be to pray that God would give you the wisdom to do the right thing and to respond in the best way possible in and through every trial that might come your way. True wisdom is really that simple. The highest form of wisdom is patient and child-like.”
This got me thinking about what Jesus said in Matthew 19:14:”Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” I feel that in large measure, the wisdom that God imparts to us is stated in the bible. This wisdom in the bible comes through very simple rules such as the Golden Rule as found in Matthew 7:12, or Jesus’ teaching about worry in Matthew 6:34: “Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day’s own trouble be sufficient for the day.”
In my quest for wisdom I will read the bible and pray daily so that the “peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep my heart and my mind in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4: 7.

Dear Lord, bestow on me, O Lord my God, understanding to know you, diligence to seek you, wisdom to find you, and a faithfulness that may finally embrace you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen (from a prayer written by Thomas Aquinas c. 1225-1274).

Paul Melnick
Additional Readings: Psalm 71:1-4; Isa 42:1-9; Heb 9:11-15; John 12:1-11

“Tell the daughter of Zion, Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on an ass, and on a colt, the foal of an ass.” Matthew 21:5

The Gospel reading for this Palm Sunday is Matthew’s account of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. We read this story every Palm Sunday from Matthew, Mark, or Luke, whose versions vary slightly from one another but contain the same basic elements. What distinguishes Matthew’s version of the story is his emphasis on the quotation from the prophet Zechariah. Because he mistranslates the passage from Zechariah (9:9; the Hebrew refers to just one animal, the colt), he has Jesus riding simultaneously on both an ass and the foal of an ass. We know this is physically impossible, unless we are to imagine a circus rider with one foot on each animal. The image is silly, if not absurd. I struggle mightily with Matthew’s mistranslation every time I read it, but if we focus on the obvious mistake, we miss the obvious point.

Biblical scholars tell us that one commonly held belief among the Jews of Jesus’ time was the coming Messiah (the “anointed one”) would be like the warrior-king David. Such a king would end the Roman occupation and restore Israel as a sovereign nation. Picture such a king triumphantly entering Jerusalem mounted on a warhorse or riding in a chariot, waving at the crowd. Jesus chose to ride a lowly beast of burden, and the crowd waved palm branches at him. Just as he overturned the tables of the moneychangers in the Temple, so did he overturn—forever—the people’s expectations of what the Messiah should be.

All four gospels convey that point, but Matthew carries it a step further. His mistranslated verse is followed by this one in Zechariah: “I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the warhorse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall command peace to the nations.” Jesus is the King of Peace. Furthermore, when Matthew writes, “This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet,” he is repeating a point that he makes throughout his Gospel, insisting that Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Old Testament. Jesus is the Messiah promised to Jew and Gentile, to you and me.

Lord Jesus, as you humbled yourself before men, let us take on humility and admit and accept that our expectations are often not your intentions for us. Anoint us, Lord, to pursue peace in our world with the courage and determination and love you manifested to all mankind in your last days in Jerusalem, even on the cross. Amen.

Michael Peters

Additional readings: Psalm 118: 1-2, 19-29; First Timothy 6: 12-16

“Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved human praise more than praise from God.” John12: 42-43
How many times have I been silent about my faith because I was afraid of what others might think? On this day in 1993, God blessed my husband, Garey, and me with a wonderful daughter, Samantha. She is turning 18 today and has brought incredible joy into our lives. After God has given me this blessing and continues to bless me each and every day, why don’t I shout it from the rooftops? Maybe I am worried that my friends and co-workers will think I am not cool – that I am a religious fanatic that will make them feel uncomfortable. However, in an effort to gain their praise, I miss out on sharing the blessings that come from a close relationship with God.
None of us know when a few simple words shared with someone might help open the door to a new or stronger faith in God. Even if I can’t instantly quote the right Bible verses and sometimes feel like my tongue is covered with glue, God can use me to further His purposes. While we all enjoy a pat on the back or being appreciated, human praise can be incredibly fleeting. We so often learn the hard way that those who applaud us one day may turn around and criticize us the next. As we enter Holy Week, we are confronted with the fleeting nature of the crowd’s praise for Jesus. He was greeted with palms and people threw cloaks as he rode through the street and less than a week later, He was hung on a cross like a common criminal.
Unlike worldly praise, God’s blessings are eternal. Instead of seeking human praise, let us have the courage to boldly share our faith with others. God is always with us and loves us more than any human can. By seeking to live a life that is pleasing to God, we can share in the incredible gift of eternal life offered to us through His son Jesus Christ.

Dear God: Thank you for the many blessings you give us in our lives. Help us to have the courage to boldly proclaim our faith and seek to live a life that is pleasing to you rather than seeking human praise.

Sara G. Eakes
Additional Readings: Jer. 31:27-34; Rom. 11:25-36; John 11:28-44

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13
I have been studying Isaiah in an external Bible Study group this year and my eyes have been opened not only to the history of this period, when Israel was being prophesied to, but also to the amazingness of God. Isaiah and Jeremiah were contemporary prophets in Israel. Where Isaiah’s prophecies were mostly pre-exilic, Jeremiah, particularly in this passage, has sent a letter to the exiles in Babylon. The reason they were exiled? God allowed them to be carried off to Babylon because of their continued faithlessness. Among the things they had continued to do included making wood and metal idols, and setting up alliances with other countries (whom did not hold up their end) in spite of being warned by God against such a thing. He continued to entreat them as they continued to rebuff Him by their actions.
We can’t imagine such a person in our time, someone who continues to want to be our friend, to be close to us, but we keep pushing them away. How many times have you passed on a Sunday service because you didn’t feel like getting out of bed, or skipped a church meeting because the weather was questionable (like I have), or turned down an invitation to help with something or join a group because it didn’t fit in with your other plans or your schedule? How many of us set our schedules so that Christian activities come first and everything else comes after? Our daily activities – our jobs, our social life, the children’s after school and weekend events, time catching up on email or other computer activities – always seem to get in the way of prayer time, Bible study time, going to church time and other actions which demonstrate that we are seeking after God with our whole hearts. YET, He still has plans for us, plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us hope and a future. Shouldn’t we put more effort into seeking Him with everything we have? It’s what I desire, not just for myself, but for all.

O Father God, in spite of our half-heartedness and poorly ordered priorities, You still love us and want us to come to you. We have not been faithful in seeking You with our whole hearts. Put events in our daily paths that cause us to hunger for you and turn to you with our whole hearts. Thank you for blessing us when we don’t deserve it. Help us to seek after more closeness with you. In Jesus’ holy name, Amen.

Noreen K Quill
Additional Readings: Jeremiah 29:1, 4-13; Psalms 22, 141,143; Romans 11:13-24; John 11:1-27 or 12:1-10