Month: February 2024

So He Could Cover Us With Grace

/ pastorpete51 / 4 Comments 

Now the tunic was seamless, woven from the top through the whole. So, they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but let us cast-lots for it to decide whose it will be”—
John 19:23b-24a DLNT

They stripped Him of his tunic
His seamless cloak with all the rest
Dividing up all that they could
Then gambled for the best

While above their heads He watched
As He fought His fight with death
In suffering still He loved us all
As He struggled for each breath

And when they took Him from the cross
Where He had suffered in our place
There He died for us, alone, exposed
So, He could cover us with grace

And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.
Matthew 5:40 ESV

So He Could Cover Us With Grace by Peter Caligiuri 
Copyright © 2024 All rights reserved

Photo by David Dibert on Pexels.com

Author’s note: I have been intrigued by the stories of the shroud of Turin, and have watched with interest several presentations about its history. But, as I recently came upon the verse in the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus tells us to yield our tunic and cloak, I remembered how the soldiers, ruthlessly stripped Him naked and then gambled for His seamless robe. Then, I was ashamed to think that I had been drawn to stories of the cloth He may have been buried in, but never wondered about what He wore in life.

Learning to Be a Friend

/ pastorpete51 / 3 Comments 
A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. Proverbs 17:17 NKJV

Most of you who follow this blog, know that I have been involved with nursing home ministry for many years. But I will bet that almost no one realizes that it all began with a visit to my friend Darryl, over thirty years ago. Now, I wasn’t really a very good friend for a long time. In fact, if it were not for the persistent and loving prodding of Darryl’s wife, I am not sure I would have finally come. You see, Darryl had suffered a stroke and went to live in a nursing home, that I passed every day on the way to work. My excuses were, I was tired, I was dirty and I didn’t know what they expected me to do. Yup, those are pretty lame excuses and neither God, nor Beverly was taking “No!” for an answer! If God is calling you to do anything, you better believe he is a lot more persistent than you are. As in the old Cosby rendition of Noah and the ark, God sometimes comes to us with the question, “How long can you tread water?” When I finally gave in and surrendered to what God had in mind, I made the amazing discovery, that it is a lot easier (And sometimes even fun!) to do what God asks, than making excuses. No disrespect to Sinatra, but I learned by doing things my way for too long, that God’s way, was way better! I hope you will enjoy my little story and that it will encourage you, to trust Jesus to teach you how to serve by becoming a true friend. After all, Jesus really is the friend who loves at all times!

A Little Sunshine at Watermark

/ pastorpete51 / 3 Comments

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16 NIV

Watermark Assisted Living is a beautiful five-star place, and of all the facilities I have visited in three different states, it is by far the nicest. But in spite of the fancy sitting room, the delightful ice cream parlor and snack bar, it is still a lonely neighborhood. Some families do visit their loved ones, but the many rarely have a guest. Sometimes, I puzzle over the abandonment of our older family members, neighbors and friends we worshipped with at church. Maybe it all comes down to the feeling, that a long term care facility is a dark place. The loneliness is suffocating, even for visitors. No children play outside, no mail carrier, whistles through the hallways dropping letters and packages. There is no corner barbershop nearby or a place to grab a slice of pizza and sit for a quick lunch with a friend. Everything here seems stiff, artificial and professionally friendly, and yet, God has not forgotten. God has not abandoned. God is walking through their neighborhood and He asks us to walk with Him. In today’s verse, Jesus commands (not suggests) that we let our light shine before others. Now, we know that the source of that light is Him, yet we who are followers of Jesus, have both the honor and the duty of carrying His light to places that are dark. We don’t need to feel sufficient, strong or radiantly cheerful to let His light shine. We only need to trust Him and do what He asks. The amazing and unexpected miracle is that when we do this, not only will we shine a light for others to see, but it will light our own pathway as well! I hope you enjoy this hymn, which was a favorite of our youngest, when he was coming with me to nursing homes, forty years ago. Every time I sing it, I hear his little voice and see his big smile as he would clap his hands and sing about how Jesus with the sunlight of His love makes all our darkness flee!