Westminster Presbyterian: Eyes to see, ears to hear

At Westminster Presbyterian Church, the people of the church elect elders and deacons, who with the minister of word and sacrament, "exercise spiritual discernment" and "have responsibilities for the life of a congregation to serve the church in its many ministries."

As an elder, I had the opportunity to lead our Sunday worship service at Westminster recently. In the preceding days, I found myself lying in bed, wide awake, in the wee hours of the morning discerning the subject matter for the message I would give. I pondered the Psalm 19 reading and considered the many ways in which God reveals His glory to us.

The Psalmist writes: "The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard; yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world."

My mother nurtured in my siblings and I an appreciation for the beauty of flowers. Mom used her gifts and talents to create watercolor paintings of floral arrangements. Beyond seeing the beauty of a flower, one can see God's divine plan revealed in its design.

In an titled "Flowers & the Fibonacci Sequence," Cat Haglund explained that "each plant packs as many petals, leaves, and seeds into the available space," enabling the plant to "maximize their exposure to the sun." Consider how this marvelous design pairs so efficiently with the plant's capability to convert sunlight into nutrients for growth via the process of photosynthesis. Surely, God's divine plan is evident in His handiwork!

Consider your life experiences and the ways that you have heard God's voice or felt God's presence. The Psalmist encourages us to look carefully for the ways that God reveals His glory to us in this reading from Psalm 46. God says: "Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth." The Psalmist also gives us this assurance: "The Lord Almighty is with us!

People, for generations, had been anticipating the coming of the Messiah with great expectations. In Jesus's time, his cousin John, the baptizer, went before him proclaiming what had been prophesized in the Old Testament reading from Isaiah 40: "A voice of one calling: 'In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.'"

Jesus, God's son, was sent by God to go out amongst the people to proclaim God's glory and divine purpose. The people heard Jesus as he spoke about how each person should love God with all one's heart, soul and mind. Jesus taught that we should love not only our neighbors, but we should also love our enemies.

By his side, the disciples and the people would see Jesus lay his hands on people to heal their infirmities, drive out demons and restore life. When people came to Jesus for healing, or to speak with him about God's divine purposes, Jesus looked into their hearts and helped them to find true faith and trust in him as the Messiah, and in God, the one who sent him.

God's divine plan, through the work of His son Jesus, is to save us from the penalty of death for our sinfulness. John 3:16-17 explains it this way: "For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son so that anyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it."

O God, bless us and help us to understand your divine purpose. Help us to use our eyes to see and our ears to hear. May your glory be revealed in our hearts so we may be healed.

Paul Dungey is a lifelong member and ruling elder of Westminster Presbyterian Church, 17 William St., Auburn. He chairs the worship committee, sings in the choir and is actively involved in service and mission, including the prison ministry, Sleep in Heavenly Peace, Meals on Wheels, Scouting and mission trips in other states and countries. For more information about Westminster, visit westminsterauburn.org or call (315) 252-3331.

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