Press Release: NAACP Responds to Coup Attempt
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

NC Council of Churches

Strength in Unity, Peace through Justice

  • Voices
  • About
    • Overview
    • Staff
    • Members
    • Covenant Partners
    • Issue Statements
    • Governing Board
  • Programs
    • Ecumenical Immigration Alliance
      • Ideas for Action
      • Sign Our Statement
      • The NC Sanctuary Coalition
      • Immigration Bible Study
      • Contact
    • NC Interfaith Power & Light
      • NCIPL Overview
      • Faith in Action NCIPL
      • NCIPL Articles
      • NCIPL Resources
      • Upcoming Events for NCIPL
      • Contact NCIPL
    • Partners in Health & Wholeness
      • PHW Staff
      • Mini-Grants
      • PHW Collaborative Pledge
      • The Opioid Crisis: The Faith Community Responds
      • PHW Articles
      • FAQs
  • Priorities
    • Racial Justice
    • The Opioid Crisis: The Faith Community Responds
    • Gun Violence Prevention
    • Public Education
    • NC Sanctuary Coalition
    • Farmworkers
    • Legislative Advocacy
    • Christian Unity
    • Peace
    • NC No Torture
  • COVID-19 Resources
  • Events
  • Resources
    • Publications & Reports
    • Raleigh Report
    • Lectionary
    • Sermons
  • Donate
  • Council Store
  • Show Search

Search NC Council of Churches

Hide Search

Lenten Guide – Second Sunday

Susannah Tuttle, NCIPL Director · March 4, 2020 · 1 Comment

Excerpted from Power Made Perfect in Weakness, a Lenten Guide for Lectionary Year A from the North Carolina Council of Churches.


Psalm 121

I lift up my eyes to the hills—
from where will my help come?
My help comes from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
He who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
The LORD is your keeper;
the LORD is your shade at your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.
The LORD will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
The LORD will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time on and for evermore.


Our deepest belief as a person of faith is the spiritual assurance of the power and protection of God. In Psalm 121 we are given the vision of strength in the long lasting hills, and the support of the Creator of Heaven and Earth. We are reminded that God is constantly awake, watching, helping and guiding as we learn to navigate this world and experience all that life has to offer, for better or for worse. Our knowing that this divine reality exists gives us permission to be humble, gentle and meek.

On the 2nd Sunday in Lent, we are still beginning our journey and we look to the hills as a way to focus our intentions and affirm our needs will be met through our convictions in God. In these Lenten days, we are reflecting, repenting, and preparing to be ready to receive the blessings of Easter. We trust that God’s power is revealed by acknowledging our own weaknesses. God’s love for Jesus allows him to suffer, with the all-knowingness that his soul is forever protected and preserved. When we are most vulnerable, our faith protects us.

In today’s world of corruption and deceit, lies and fake news, our sensibilities are being attacked and our kind hearts tormented. We are tempted by evil forces to be self-centered and curse our opponents, but instead we must experience our own inner-strength through penance and denial of ego. Our confidence must not come from artificial sources of power but instead from our trust in facts and science, truth and justice. Our Lenten meditations must be focused on the inspired affirmation of God keeping “our going out and our coming in” day and night.

Caring for God’s Creation and recognizing we are of that same Creation is our most significant way of proving our faith and to be assured that the promises of God are reliable and worthy of our gratitude. We have pushed this planet to the brink of ecological destruction and we must understand that we too will be destroyed as we are one with the earth. The Sun and Moon cannot hurt us and our love for this world, God’s Creation, is what we are called to cherish and protect.

On this 2nd Sunday in Lent let us “lift our eyes to the hills” knowing that God is here to help. We just need to show our love by tending to the garden, because God is watching.

Prayer

Through the light of faith, help us to see this world, our common home, not as a resource to dominate and exploit, but as a gift to be cherished by all generations. May we be humbled by the power of God’s Creation and may we protect it with all our might. Amen.

Filed Under: Blog, Homepage Featured Tagged With: Worship

Susannah Tuttle, NCIPL Director

About Susannah Tuttle, NCIPL Director

Susannah Tuttle joined the staff in August 2011. She received a Masters of Divinity degree from Starr King School for the Ministry at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA. In 2004 Susannah was hired as UNC Chapel Hill’s first Sustainability Research Associate and went on to co-initiate Trace Collaborative, LLC a consulting firm specializing in the implementation of sustainability within the design and construction industry. Susannah currently serves on Interfaith Power & Light’s national Board of Directors, Southeast Climate & Energy Network Board of Trustees, Duke Energy’s NC Eastern Advisory Council, and UNC School of Law’s Center for Climate, Energy, Environment, and Economics (CE3) Advisory Board.
Learn more about NC Interfaith Power & Light: ncipl.org.

Reader Interactions

More Like This

Lenten Guide – Easter Sunday
Lenten Guide – Good Friday
Lenten Guide – Maundy Thursday

Comments

  1. AvatarNancy Corson Carter says

    March 6, 2020 at 3:06 pm

    Dear Susannah,
    Your message centered on Psalm 121 is so lovely and powerful, something I yearned to hear, a balm in trying times.
    Thank you!
    Peace,
    Nancy

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Anonymous comments or comments that target individuals will not be posted (please include your first and last name). All comments must be on topic and respectful. Comments will not be posted until they have been reviewed by a moderator. Comments do not reflect the positions of the NC Council of Churches.

Footer

Contact

NC Council of Churches
27 Horne St.
Raleigh, NC 27607
(919) 828-6501
info@ncchurches.org

Facebook

Partners in Health and Wholeness

Featured

Lenten Guide – Second Sunday

Latest Tweets

Are you interested in Christian unity, peace, and social justice? Do you know someone who is? Share this post and stay updated on what is coming up this year by signing up for our weekly newsletter! ncchurches.org/email…

About 3 days ago

The 2021 MLK Brochure edition from @democracync features info about voting in local elections this year, advocating for fair & transparent redistricting, and more. Follow the link to get these brochures! docs.google.com/form…

About 3 days ago

RT @NCPolicyWatch The real perpetrators of fraud regarding the 2020 election shar.es/ao4BUi via @NCPolicyWatch #NCPOL #NCGA #ElectionIntegrity #Trump @ncchurches

About 3 days ago

RT @healthandfaith Join us, @ncdhhs, and @ncchurches next Friday for a webinar focused on the COVID-19 Vaccine roll out. We will discuss the process and how faith communities can get involved. Register here: us02web.zoom.us/meet… #MindfulTogether pic.twitter.com/Nm90…

About 3 days ago

"The United States Congress, a week after the nation’s Capitol was overrun by a violent mob while lawmakers were carrying out one of their paramount duties, now faces a paramount challenge.." Read more from this Raleigh Report by Steve Ford. ncchurches.org/2021/…

About 4 days ago

Follow @ncchurches

Latest Tweets

Awesome things to come this year - subscribe and stay in touch! #MindfulTogether twitter.com/ncchurch…

About 3 days ago

So important and needed. You are so loved. twitter.com/NAMINCar…

About 3 days ago

Join us, @ncdhhs, and @ncchurches next Friday for a webinar focused on the COVID-19 Vaccine roll out. We will discuss the process and how faith communities can get involved. Register here: us02web.zoom.us/meet… #MindfulTogether pic.twitter.com/Nm90…

About 3 days ago

Check it out! twitter.com/CityofDu…

About 5 days ago

Don't forget to register for our final Becoming a Trauma-Informed Faith Community webinar next Tuesday. Join this whole-person driven conversation as we support and honor one another's stories and experiences. Register here: ow.ly/xNNI50D3lHp #mentalhealth #MindfulTogether pic.twitter.com/mtZM…

About a week ago

Follow @healthandfaith

Latest Tweets

RT @interfaithpower Join IPL Jan 19 for a free screening of the short film Unbreathable, followed by webinar: The EPA and Clean Air in 2021. Register: bit.ly/unbreathable @episcopalchurch @LungAssociation @faithinplace @alinterfaithpl @iowaipl @NCIPL @VAIPL @NewMexicoIPL @GeorgiaIPL pic.twitter.com/yDlx…

About 3 days ago

RT @CCLTriangle This is the jobs engine the country needs @SenThomTillis @SenatorBurr @GKButterfield @DeborahRossNC: 81% of additional generating capacity in the USA last year was solar, wind or battery. Great news. Please make sure the percentage rises this year! eia.gov/todayinenerg… pic.twitter.com/zarU…

About 5 days ago

RT @interfaithpower Join IPL Jan 19 for a free screening of the short film Unbreathable, followed by webinar: The EPA and Clean Air in 2021. Register: bit.ly/unbreathable @episcopalchurch @LungAssociation @faithinplace @alinterfaithpl @iowaipl @NCIPL @VAIPL @NewMexicoIPL @GeorgiaIPL pic.twitter.com/zSKE…

Last week

RT @noel_johnny Oil & gas corporations, including Chevron and Exxon, have donated a total of $5.4 million to the seven Senators who voted to overturn the presidential election and bolstered a violent, failed attempted coup by pro-Trump extremists. greenpeace.org/usa/n…. #RemoveOrResign

Last week

RT @UniteThePoor Nine moral witnesses with the #PoorPeoplesCampaign were arrested on June 12, 2018 for praying for repentance & justice on the steps of the US Supreme Court. They were taken to jail & held till the following day. #TBT 📷: #HopeInFocus pic.twitter.com/66Zn…

About 2 weeks ago

Follow @ncipl

Latest Tweets

Copyright © 2021 NC Council of Churches · All Rights Reserved · Website by Tomatillo Design · Hosted by WP Engine