“Humility,  Forgiveness and Love”

Today, we welcome Ruling Elder Beth Doebereiner to our pulpit. As a member of Montgomery Presbyterian Church, she serves as treasurer and just completed six years on Session. As a graduate of the Ruling Elder Preaching Institute of the Presbytery, an experience she highly recommends, she was prepared to preach monthly during 2020 when MPC was without a Pastor.

First Reading: Psalm 25—Prayer for Guidance and for Deliverance. Of David.

¹ To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. ² O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me. ³ Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame; let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. ⁴ Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. ⁵ Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long. ⁶ Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love, for they have been from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O Lord!

⁸ Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. ⁹ He leads the humble in what is right and teaches the humble his way. ¹⁰ All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his decrees. ¹¹ For your name’s sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great. ¹² Who are they who fear the Lord? He will teach them the way that they should choose. ¹³ They will abide in prosperity, and their children shall possess the land. ¹⁴ The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes his covenant known to them. ¹⁵ My eyes are ever toward the Lord, for he will pluck my feet out of the net.

¹⁶ Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. ¹⁷ Relieve the troubles of my heart, and bring me out of my distress. ¹⁸ Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins. ¹⁹ Consider how many are my foes and with what violent hatred they hate me. ²⁰ O guard my life and deliver me; do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. ²¹ May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you. ²² Redeem Israel, O God, out of all its troubles.

Gospel Reading: Mark 4:35-41—Jesus Stills a Storm.

³⁵ On that day, when evening had come, Jesus said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” ³⁶ And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. ³⁷ A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. ³⁸ But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion, and they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” ³⁹ And waking up, he rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Be silent! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. ⁴⁰ He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” ⁴¹ And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”