Trust

1. Morning

   1. Psalm 97

   2. 1 Cor. 15:30-41

2. Evening

   1. Psalm 15

   2. Exodus 12:40-51

3. Hymn

   1. The Lamb Has Overcome

4. Prayer

   1. O God, whose blessed Son made himself known to his
      disciples in the breaking of bread: Open the eyes of our faith,
      that we may behold him in all his redeeming work; who lives
      and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God,
      now and for ever. Amen.

Devotional: Psalm 97
From Rev. Martin Antoon:
I have three memories that stand out as my earliest of my life.  The first was an incredibly unremarkable day one morning in three-year-old preschool.  I don’t know why I remember it.  The second was cutting a chunk out of my hair when I was four.  Maybe slightly more significant, but still not that noteworthy in the grand scheme of things.  But I also have another memory from my four-year-old days.  For whatever reason, I decided to stick a paper clip in an electrical socket.  You could blame me for my lack of knowledge of simple electrical currents, or you could blame the apparent lack of oversight from whatever teacher was supposed to be watching.  But I remember a loud buzzing noise, which was followed by a teacher walking over to me, not saying a single word, picking me up, and promptly setting me down somewhere else.  And the question I remember thinking to myself was this:  “Why did she do that?”

As the virus continues its global course, something is becoming clear.  The reason we are collectively so unsettled is not just because we worry for our safety.  After all, we do things all the time that, in theory, jeopardize our well-being.  The fear of the virus lies in the fact that we truly have no idea what the next months, or maybe even year, could hold.  It’s scary.  We want to know that somebody is in control. 

What does the Psalmist mean when He says “The Lord reigns?”  We use that language a lot.  Simply put, it means two things are true.  Nothing happens outside of God’s control, and God works all things together for good for those who love Him.  It might, at times, leave us asking the question “Why did He do that?”  We might truly suffer in the midst of everything going on, but we can take comfort in one thing:  though we may not have the answers, God does.  He invites us to ask the question knowing that it will ultimately strengthen our dependence on Him.  The answer to my four-year-old-self’s question is painfully obvious now.  I just didn’t have the understanding required to see it at the time.  Thankfully, the person in charge did.  We don’t have the wisdom to understand God’s master plan, but thankfully we can trust that He does.

Good Friday: Beloved Failures

Texts:

1. Morning

   1. Psalm 22

   2. John 13:36-38

2. Evening

   1. Psalm 40:1-14

   2. John 19:38-42

3. Hymn

   1. Christ the Lord is Risen Today, in anticipation of Easter

4. Prayer

   1. Our Gracious God and Heavenly Father, You have loved us, even when we were dead in our sins. Your grace made us alive together with Christ. You have called us out of darkness and into your light. We confess that we have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. Forgive us, O God, and bless us by your Spirit, that we might have the courage to walk in the good works to which you have called us, to the praise of your glorious name, Amen.

Devotional: John 13:36-38
Rev. Martin Antoon:

I’ve been a Miami Dolphins fan ever since I was six years old.  If I could have it over, it’s possible I might pick a different team to save myself what would become over two decades of incessant heartbreak, but it’s far too late for that now.  Among the countless games over the years, one particular game stands out in my mind.  The year was 1999, and the Dolphins had one of their best teams in a long time.  They were so good that they did a very un-Dolphins thing and made the playoffs.  After a good win against the Seahawks in the first round, they faced the Jacksonville Jaguars in the next round.  The Dolphins were supposed to be strong contenders.  Dan Marino was wrapping up a legendary career at Quarterback.  They had a strong group of receivers, and the star-studded defense was one of the best in the league. 

To say that the Dolphins lost the game would be putting it mildly.  To this day, it still stands as the worst playoff loss in NFL history over the past 80 years.  All the expectations pointed to a strong team that could deliver when needed, but the results were disastrous.

Peter’s final moments in the Upper Room with Jesus ring oddly similarly to the 1999 Miami Dolphins.  Peter is confident that in the closing hours of Jesus’s life, as the authorities close in to unjustly arrest Him, he will remain strong beside Jesus.  “I will lay down my life for you,” says Peter.  But Jesus tells Peter another story about how things will end.  Instead of laying down his life, he is told that out of fear and cowardice, he will deny the same friend he has just promised to defend.  Not only will he deny Jesus, but he will do it three times.  Not surprisingly, this is exactly what happens.  Peter’s expectations of heroism and strength were replaced by shame and failure as Jesus goes on trial and Peter seeks only his own safety.  He sends Jesus to the cross alone. 

I suspect most of us had ambitions entering this era of quarantine where we were going to change for the better.  We were going to kick our spiritual lives into overdrive.  We were going to spend quality time with our families.  We were going to pick up a hobby.  We were going to read more.  We were going to serve and love others.  We were going to be strong when the circumstances tempted us to be weak.  And while we possibly did improve some areas of our lives, you probably found that you were far weaker than you had aspired.  And maybe you feel like a failure. 

The Dolphins may not have won a playoff game in the last 20 years, but I still love them.  Peter may have failed, but Jesus still loves him and draws near to him with unconditional mercy.  It’s not because of our strength that God loves us, it’s in spite of our weakness.  God offers grace to failures.  The beautiful final scene with Jesus and Peter after the Resurrection is not one of shame and anger as Jesus confronts his betrayer.  It’s a scene of forgiveness and breakfast as Jesus welcomes him back.  Jesus doesn’t want your record of accomplishments, He wants you.  

Holy Wednesday: We Didn't Ask For This

Texts:

1. Morning

   1. Psalm 55

   2. Mark 12:1-11

2. Evening

   1. Psalm 74

   2. Mark 12:1-11

3. Hymn

   1. Christ the Lord is Risen Today, in anticipation of Easter

4. Prayer

   1. Our Gracious God and Heavenly Father, You have loved us, even when we were dead in our sins. Your grace made us alive together with Christ. You have called us out of darkness and into your light. We confess that we have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. Forgive us, O God, and bless us by your Spirit, that we might have the courage to walk in the good works to which you have called us, to the praise of your glorious name, Amen.

Devotional: Mark 11:27-33
Rev. Martin Antoon:

At this point, we’re starting to get pretty accustomed to suffering, aren’t we?  For some of us, it looks like being cooped up in the house for hours and days on end, burdened by the absence of consistency.  For others, it looks like lost jobs or the fear of their impending end.  For some of us, our suffering comes in the form of loved ones who are in danger of getting infected, or worse, loved ones who are sick.  The perpetual sense of suffering has started to color everything that we do and every thought that we have.  “I didn’t ask for this,” we think to ourselves.  The knowledge that we tried to keep ourselves at a distance seems to offer some consolation.  If we ascribe our condition to some impersonal force, we can try to alleviate its sting.

Jesus was also familiar with suffering during His life.  He brings our attention to Psalm 118 to reveal the depths of this suffering.  He is the stone that the builders rejected.  Considering the imagery creates a vivid scene.  In the grand construction of this “kingdom” being built by others, this particular stone is to be cast aside in rejection.  We have no use for it here.  It’s worthless.  So was Jesus considered to the world.  Yet never for a moment did Jesus think to Himself, “I didn’t ask for this.”  In fact, He volunteered Himself to be the stone that the builders rejected.  Unlike our suffering, He willingly entered into His.  And His suffering was personal.  It was from those who He came to save, us included. 

As we spend this week reflecting on Jesus’s final week of suffering, let’s use our present suffering to remind us of something important – Jesus’s hurt wasn’t some abstract idea of pain.  It was as real, piercing, and tangible as the suffering that we have felt amidst the virus.  And it was pain that we caused Him.  And rather than saying “I didn’t ask for this,” Jesus presses on, knowing that the fate of the cross awaits Him.  And He does it precisely so our present suffering would not be in vain.  Jesus doesn’t just love you when it’s convenient, He loves you even when it’s hard for you to love Him back.

The Possibility of Presence

CTK has been given the opportunity to serve the Savannah Music Festival by being part of a phone tree. We will make phone calls to ticketholders asking them to donate their tickets to the Festival, so that artists who were scheduled can get paid and the festival can survive this difficult financial time. This is a great opportunity to help serve our city by fighting for something that makes it unique. If you would like to participate, click here.

If you have not been involved in a parish group but would like to get involved in a new one, click here. This group will meet biweekly to bear one another's burdens in prayer via zoom.

To see the rest of our daily devotionals, with prayers, songs and reflections, click here. To sign up for daily emails, click here. 

Prayers

1. Morning

   1. Readings

      1. Old Testament: Exodus 7:25-8:19

      2. Psalm: 131

   2. Hymn: Praise to the Lord, the Almighty

   3. Prayer: 

Increase, O God, the Spirit of Neighborliness among us;
that in peril we may uphold one another,
In suffering tend to one another,
and in exile befriend on another.

Grant us brave and enduring hearts
that we may strengthen one another,
until the disciplines and testing of these days are ended,
and you again give peace in our time.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

1. Evening

   1. Readings

      1. New Testament: MArk 10:17-31

      2. Psalm: 141

   2. Hymn: Dear Refuge of My Weary Soul

   3. Prayer: See above, or use the Lord's Prayer

Devotional on Psalm 131:
When I was in seminary, I began suffering from some sort of mystery ailment of the gastrointestinal variety. So I did what anyone would do and got on WebMD and put my symptoms in. I ran a little diagnostic to figure out what my problem was. Two options came up, after I input my symptoms. I either A) had a parasite, or B) was lactose intolerant. The cure for the parasite was to eat lots of yogurt- which has lactose. Since I love milk and cookies, I wouldn't- couldn't- give milk up. My problem had to be a parasite. 

My symptoms only worsened. Which is always, always what happens when you misdiagnose your problem.

When we face difficulty or trouble in life, the question we always ask is "Why?" Why am I facing this? Why is this happening? We think that our problem is difficulty, and if we can answer the "Why" question then we can avoid that problem in the future. 

Our symptoms get worse. No amount of answering "Why?" helps us to avoid suffering. Instead, we get angry and bitter as we are forced to confront the reality that our previous explanations (and all of the previous "Why's" in the history of humanity) have not helped us avoid suffering. 

The Psalmist knows that our problems aren't our problem. Our problem is a lack of presence. The psalmist refuses to write down arrogant, cheap, easy answers to the "Why" question (v. 1). Instead, he contents himself with being like a child with his mother, and a weaned child no less (v.2) . A weaned child isn't getting anything out of his mother; he is just delighting in the safety of her presence. And that is what we, God's people, have the opportunity to do. To solve THE problem, not of our problems, but in the midst of our problems. To find the comfort, security, and hope, of God's presence. As NT Wright wrote recently:

"It is no part of the Christian vocation, then, to be able to explain what’s happening and why. In fact, it is part of the Christian vocation not to be able to explain—and to lament instead. As the Spirit laments within us, so we become, even in our self-isolation, small shrines where the presence and healing love of God can dwell. And out of that there can emerge new possibilities, new acts of kindness, new scientific understanding, new hope."

For discussion:
1. How does it feel when someone you know is always giving you advice about how to solve your problem?
2. Why do we look for this from our religion?
3. How can we begin to seek God's presence in the midst of our problems?

A Hopeful Expectancy

If you have not been involved in a parish group but would like to get involved in a new one, click here. This group will meet biweekly to bear one another's burdens in prayer via zoom.

To see the rest of our daily devotionals, with prayers, songs and reflections, click here. To sign up for daily emails, click here. 

Prayers

1. Morning

   1. Readings

      1. Old Testament: Exodus 5-6:1

      2. Psalm: 121

   2. Hymn: Praise to the Lord, the Almighty

   3. Prayer: 

Increase, O God, the Spirit of Neighborliness among us;
that in peril we may uphold one another,
In suffering tend to one another,
and in exile befriend on another.

Grant us brave and enduring hearts
that we may strengthen one another,
until the disciplines and testing of these days are ended,
and you again give peace in our time.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

1. Evening

   1. Readings

      1. New Testament: Mark 9:42-50

      2. Psalm: 122

   2. Hymn: Dear Refuge of My Weary Soul

   3. Prayer: A prayer for fellowship with God, from Psalm 31:22-24:

Devotional on Exodus 5:
The worst part about skydiving isn't the falling through the air. It's the waiting to fall through the air. Walking up to the plane is fine, getting in the plane is fine, listening to the safety instructions is fine. But flying through the air that you will soon be falling through... that part is the worst. Theoretically, you know you are going to have fun- that they pilot and guides know what they are doing, that the parachute will open... but theory has a way of seeming insubstantial with 10,000 feet of abyss beneath your feet. The operators know that this part is the worst, this waiting. That's why they tell you, before you get on the plane, that there is no turning back from that moment. If you get on the plane, the only way out is via parachute. No turning back, no wasting gas. Strap in. "Now you will see what we will do."

Life with Jesus is no different. Theoretically, we know he is good, we know he is God, we know that he loves us. The parachute will open. But being asked to walk into the desert with him, as the Israelites are in Exodus 5? As Jesus disciples are in Mark 9? When there is so much opposition in the world, and so much weakness in ourselves? Theory has a way of seeming insubstantial, when only the abyss is beneath your feet. 

But there is no other way to walk with Jesus. There are no half-measures. Strap in, no turning back. Each of our readings today invites us into deeper trust, and experiential intimacy in our walks with God. And there is a beautiful expectancy, a weightless sort of freedom, accessible to us by experience in brief moments of the future-kingdom-become-present, when the promise of God sometimes rings, sometimes whispers in our ears. "Now you will see what I will do."

For discussion:
1. What is the most difficult part of stepping out into life with Jesus for you?
2. Where are there gaps between your theory of his goodness and your expectation of his goodness?
3. What would it look like to jump into that gap?

FaceTime with God

If you have not been involved in a parish group but would like to get involved in a new one, click here. This group will meet biweekly to bear one another's burdens in prayer via zoom.

CTK has been given the opportunity to serve the Savannah Music Festival by being part of a phone tree. We will make phone calls to ticketholders asking them to donate their tickets to the Festival, so that artists who were scheduled can get paid and the festival can survive this difficult financial time. This is a great opportunity to help serve our city by fighting for something that makes it unique. If you would like to participate, click here.

To see the rest of our daily devotionals, with prayers, songs and reflections, click here. To sign up for daily emails, click here. 

Prayers

1. Morning

   1. Readings

      1. Old Testament: Exodus 4:10-31

      2. Psalm: 31

   2. Hymn: Praise to the Lord, the Almighty

   3. Prayer: 

Increase, O God, the Spirit of Neighborliness among us;
that in peril we may uphold one another,
In suffering tend to one another,
and in exile befriend on another.

Grant us brave and enduring hearts
that we may strengthen one another,
until the disciplines and testing of these days are ended,
and you again give peace in our time.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

1. Evening

   1. Readings

      1. New Testament: Mark 9:30-41

      2. Psalm: 35

   2. Hymn: Dear Refuge of My Weary Soul

   3. Prayer: A prayer for fellowship with God, from Psalm 31:22-24:

Devotional on Psalm 31:
Do it yourself. Do it by yourself. Look out for yourself. Believe in yourself. Take care of yourself. Push yourself. And yes, treat yo'self. It's the human way, yes. But it's also a uniquely American way. We lionize those who stand out from the crowd, and ridicule those who conform. Our ancestors were the ones who would cross an ocean to do it themselves. The only problem is: you can't.

Research has shown that from the earliest ages of human development, we rely deeply on the faces of other human beings for the ability to make sense of our surroundings, and to comfort and soothe ourselves in times of distress. A baby whose emotions are not received and interpreted by her mother will lose the ability to soothe at all. From the beginning (and even more obvious, before they begin) of our lives we are indebted to the faces of others for our comfort. 

For our life to survive, we need the face of Another.

The Psalmist knows the truth. We need the face of humans and we need the face of God. For us to live a fully human life, it must be lived "before the face" of God (v. 16); we need to see ourselves in the reflection of his eyes. We need the security that his strength provides us. We need the salvation that his arms alone are powerful enough to bring. We need the love of God, that we may provide that same love to others. We need the church, because in her are the faces of the people who see the face of God, and can reflect that love to us. 

For discussion:
1. When you think of God looking at you, what do you think is the look on his face? When is hardest to believe that he loves you and hears you?
2. What are some of the ways we can reflect the face of God to one another?
3. When is the hardest to reflect this face?

Worship Reminder!

These signals would be helpful if we could go anywhere.

We will worship together via zoom at 5 pm on Sunday. Click here to participate.

A Bigger Story

We will worship together via zoom at 5 pm on Sunday. Click here to participate.
Our midtown parish group (hosted by the Thompsons and Soren) will meet for prayer at 8 pm on Thursdays.
Our downtown parish group will meet for prayer next week (details to be announced).
To see the rest of our daily devotionals, with prayers, songs and reflections, click here. To sign up for daily emails, click here. 

Prayers

1. Morning

   1. Readings

      1. Old Testament: Exodus 2:1-22

      2. Psalm: 95

   2. Prayer: The Lord's Prayer

   3. Hymn: Come Thou Fount

2. Evening

   1. Readings

      1. New Testament: Mark 9:2-13

      2. Psalm: 102

   2. Hymn: Abide With Me

   3. Prayer: Psalm 138:7-8 (below)

Devotional on Psalm 95:
In the recent hit Netflix TV show "Stranger Things," the epic battle between good and evil is played out right under the noses of people living in Hawkins, a small town slice of Americana. This war is waged on two fronts: first, there is the actual conflict between good and evil, the back and forth between "The Upside-Down" and the theoretically "Right-side Up." But second, and no less difficult, is the battle the protagonists face to wake up the citizens of small-town America to the fact that the Upside-Down is right under their noses. Its almost like their quaintness, their civility, their normalcy, their goodness is a weapon of evil, to blind them to the larger story unfolding around them.

Are we living in Hawkins? The weather in Savannah this past week has sometimes made me think so. One of the most jarring experiences of this whole pandemic has been the disconnect between the story unfolding on the Internet and our direct sense experience. The Internet is on fire with stories of suffering, or warnings of doom, but my daily experience is just sunny and 82 degrees. And thats the danger; if all we did was act on the basis of the story we encounter in our daily lives, by the time we woke up to the true reality of our situation it would be too late. The challenge is clear- to act effectively, we have to consciously live as if we are a part of a bigger story.

That is exactly what Psalm 95 invites us to do. By inviting us into worship, the writer invites us to live in the bigger unfolding story of God's redemption and love for his people. It is a story that is not always self-evident; often the story is obscured by the trials and little daily bureaucratic annoyances of modern life. The Israelites of Exodus looked at a desert and saw nothing but rock. But God made water come from that rock. That is the story we live in. That is the God we serve. 

For discussion:
1. What in daily life makes it difficult to believe that you live in a story of God's love and redemption?
2. What in **your** life makes it difficult to believe that you live in a story of God's love and redemption?
3. What can you do to worship and bow down (to consciously live in God's story) for a little while each day?

A prayer for presence, from Psalm 138:

    [7] Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
        you preserve my life;
    you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
        and your right hand delivers me.
    [8] The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me;
        your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever.
        Do not forsake the work of your hands. (ESV)

You Can't Shoot A Virus With a Gun

We will worship together via zoom at 500 on Sunday. Click here to participate.

Our midtown parish group (hosted by the Thompsons and Soren) will meet for prayer at 8 pm on Thursday (today). Click here to participate, even if you never have before!

Our downtown parish group will meet for prayer next week (details to be announced).

To see the rest of our daily devotionals, with prayers, songs and reflections, click here. To sign up for daily emails, click here. 

Prayers

1. Morning

   1. Readings

      1. Old Testament: Isaiah 40:6-8

      2. Psalm: 69:1-23

   2. Prayer: The Lord's Prayer

   3. Hymn: Come Thou Fount

2. Evening

   1. Readings

      1. New Testament: Mark 8:27-9:1

      2. Psalm: 73

   2. Hymn: Abide With Me

   3. Prayer: Psalm 138:7-8 (below)

Devotional on Isaiah 40:6-8, from Rev. Martin Antoon:
If there is one word that encapsulates how we feel about our current patterns and expectations of life, it is “uncertainty.”   It isn’t just that we don’t know how long things are going to last or how far along doctors and scientists are developing vaccines or learning new information, we don’t even know what big announcement might even come tomorrow that will even more drastically shape our lives.  Our routines are different as we stay at home.  Our jobs look different.  School looks different.  Relationships look different.  If you walk outside, our city has an eerie aura that simultaneously feels part ghost town and part apocalyptic hysteria.  We want to do even the simple things that accompany the feeling of stability – sitting at our favorite coffee shop, going to the beach, even going to church – but we can’t.  We can’t plan because we don’t even know what changes might happen.  Life is uncertain right now. Maybe that's why we are buying all the guns?

If we were to rewind about 3,700 years, we would find a lot in common with the Israelites.  Their uncertainty wasn’t in the form of pandemic.  It was the Assyrians.  The foreign power was closing in, and exile was on the horizon.  Just like us, they were filled with questions that had no answers.  “Where will we go?”  “How will I care for my family?”  “How does God’s goodness fit into this situation?”  Perhaps the setting feels familiar to you.  It is into these questions the prophet Isaiah writes.  After 39 chapters of exposing Israel’s idolatry of security, Isaiah brings a glorious promise of hope.  He recognizes what we are currently experiencing alongside the Israelites.  The grass withers and the flower fades.  Or maybe for our purposes, “the global health withers and economic security fades.”  But the word of our God will stand forever.  There is security in the promised word of God because the promised word becomes flesh.  The promise isn’t an abstract ideology, but rather, a crucified savior.  The uncertainty of our current lives is no more real than the certainty of the empty tomb. 

What if we could, in spite of all the difficulties, embrace the uncertainty?  I wonder how that would shape our belief that the word of God will stand forever.  Is it possible that we could practice what we have taught ourselves to profess?  If you’ve ever been in the exciting-yet-terrifying position of buying an engagement ring, you probably experienced something interesting.  The jeweler shows a few diamonds at first, and to the untrained eye (which happens to be 100% of prospective grooms), they look pretty good.  But then she brings out the real deal, and its shine reveals the others as vastly inferior.  It’s not that the other diamonds weren’t good, they just don’t compare to the real deal.  It’s not that our familiar sources of comfort aren’t good, they are now simply being compared to the real thing.  By embracing our current uncertainty, we can begin to see what it truly means to have perfect security united to Christ.  


For discussion:
1. What am I tempted to clutch at in the midst of uncertainty? Sometimes this comes out in "at least..." as in, "At least I still have ____"?
2. How do we respond to others who are feeling uncertain? Why is it so tempting to point them to false certainties?
3. How might trust in Jesus empower us to let go of "at least?"

A prayer for presence, from Psalm 138:

    [7] Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
        you preserve my life;
    you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
        and your right hand delivers me.
    [8] The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me;
        your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever.
        Do not forsake the work of your hands. (ESV)

The City of Ghosts

Join us for our weekly time of guided prayer and worship via Zoom ( a link will be provided later this week).To see the rest of our daily devotionals, with prayers, songs and reflections, click here. To sign up for daily emails, click here. 

Prayers

1. Morning

   1. Readings

      1. Old Testament: Isaiah 52:7-12

      2. Psalm: 82

   2. Prayer: The Lord's Prayer

   3. Hymn: Come Thou Fount

2. Evening

   1. Readings

      1. New Testament: John 1:9-14

      2. Psalm: 87

   2. Hymn: Abide With Me

   3. Prayer: Psalm 138:7-8 (below)

Devotional on Psalm 87
Shelter in place. The order has been coming for awhile now. But in many ways the declaration merely makes official what has happened to our city over the last two weeks. It hit me on St. Patrick's day Eve, more than any other day: we have become a city of ghosts. Sitting in an ancient square outside an empty cathedral on deathly quiet streets made it obvious. Though the buildings were made of brick, for an instant it felt as if the more solid thing was in the past. The energy was gone. The moment was more than real; it was metaphorical.

Scripture teaches us that the longing we feel for our city to return to its previous life, its previous energy, is itself evidence of a deeper longing.This is really a longing for the city of God. Psalm 87 describes a city full of life, full of energy, full of creativity (v.7-8). The city is famous for the life and joy that stream out of it. This is not just a description of Jerusalem ("Zion")... its a description of New Jerusalem, the city of our fathers and the city of our hope. 

How do we get that city back. In the near-term, of course it means waiting for the presence of people to return; what a joyous, energetic day that will be. But the city isn't just brought to a recognition of its former glory by the presence of men, but by the presence of Man. The kingdom returns in the presence of the King. As we look forward with longing to the return of life to our city of ghosts, lets prepare ourselves for the descent of the city that, if we have Jesus as our king, is our hometown, our city of origin. Maybe then people would ask, "Wow. You are from there?"

A quote:
"Happiness is not just a hope, but also in some strange way a memory, and we are all kings in exile." - GK Chesterton

For discussion:
1. What do you miss most about the city of Savannah as it was five days ago?
2. Does that longing point to a deeper longing, for another city?
3. When the order is lifted, what would it look like to start making Savannah look more like Zion? Do your longings provide any evidence as to where you might could start?

A prayer for presence, from Psalm 138:

    [7] Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
        you preserve my life;
    you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
        and your right hand delivers me.
    [8] The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me;
        your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever.
        Do not forsake the work of your hands. (ESV)