The MPC Podcast

Scripture: John 12:23–26Contributor: BETH SALAGUINTODYING TO LIVE23 Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.John 12:23–26ReflectionIn this passage, Jesus offers a truth that feels both countercultural and deeply unsettling: life comes through death. Using the image of a seed falling into the earth, He reminds us that growth and fruitfulness require release, surrender, and transformation.During Lent, we are invited into this same paradox.We live in a world that teaches us to preserve—to protect our time, our comfort, our identity, and our sense of control. Yet Christ calls us in a different direction: “Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” This is not a call to self-rejection, but a call to reorientation—to loosen our grip on what we think sustains us so that we may receive what truly gives life.In the Reformed tradition, we understand that our lives are not our own—we belong, body and soul, to God. This passage invites us to examine where we are holding too tightly: to status, to certainty, to self-sufficiency. Lent becomes a sacred space to lay these down.Jesus does not ask of us what He Himself has not already lived. His journey to the cross is not only an act of redemption but also a model of obedience. To follow Him is to walk the same path—not necessarily in suffering for its own sake, but in faithful surrender to God’s will.And yet, this surrender is not the end of the story.Just as the seed bears much fruit, so too does a life given over to God’s purposes. What feels like loss becomes the very ground of transformation. What we release in faith, God multiplies in grace.Let us pray:Gracious God,You call us to a life that is shaped not by grasping, but by giving.In this Lenten season, help us to release what we cling to—our need for control, our fear of loss, our attachment to comfort.Teach us to trust that in dying to self, we are being made new.Form in us the mind of Christ, who humbled Himself in love and obedience.Give us courage to follow where You lead,and faith to believe that what is surrendered in You is never lost.Through Jesus Christ, who bears fruit through sacrifice,Amen.Practice for the Week• Identify one area of your life where you are holding tightly (time, control, recognition, security).• Offer it to God in prayer each day this week.• Practice a small act of sacrificial love—quiet, unseen, and without expectation of return.SUBMITTED BY SIS. BETH SALAGUINTO

Scripture: Isaiah: 30:15Contributor: DEACON CLETTA ROCHESTER-DUCKETTEMBRACING SURRENDER AND REPENTANCEThis is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One-of Israel says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, In quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.Isaiah: 30:15 (NIV)As believers in Jesus Christ we belong to the family of God. There are times in our Faith journey when our sins and disobedience disrupt our closeness to God.  Our situations and circumstances can cause us to put our trust in ourselves or others forgetting His promise to be with us always. God is always near and like the Father he is -he is always a step away.  Like the children of Israel in Isaiah’s prophesies God offers us a chance at Restoration when we seek His will for our lives From His word we know He is loving, merciful and forgiving. The Cross is our proof of how Valuable we are in His eyes. Our Lenten journey is an opportunity to search our hearts and make sure our Faith’s foundation is solid.  Isaiah 30 :15 is a warning from our Savior of what is lost when we don’t embrace Surrender and Repentance to GOD’s will. Let us pray:Father GOD, Savior Redeemer and King, thank you that despite our sins you are still merciful and forgiving. Thank you for your Presence and always ready to restore our relationship will you  Lord continue to convict us when we falter, so we can strengthen our trust and faith in you.  This I pray in the name of your Son Jesus Christ. Amen.      SUBMITTED BY DEACON CLETTA ROCHESTER-DUCKETT

Scripture: Proverbs 3:5-6Contributor: DEACON CATHERINE BEASLEYEMBRACING A SPIRIT OF TRUST: MOVING FROM FEAR TO FAITH“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)Proverbs 3:5-6 instructs us to trust God completely. It urges believers to surrender to God and acknowledge Him in all life’s decisions. The promise is that God will guide, direct, and straighten the paths of those who rely on Him. This scripture emphasizes dependence on God over our limited understanding.We live in a world that often defaults to fear. When difficult times arise—whenthe path ahead is crooked, the future is uncertain, or the present isoverwhelming, our natural response is to worry, and to take control. However, the Bible calls us to a different way of living. Embracing a spirit of trust.Trusting God is not a passive act of sitting back; it is an active, deliberate decisionto rely on God, instead of ourselves. It is the antidote to fear, an act of worshipthat proves we truly believe God is who He says He is. When we trust God, wemove from a spirit of fear to a spirit of faith. Therefore, we must: Surrender All: Stop Leaning on our Human Understanding: Ourunderstanding is limited, but God sees the big picture that we cannot. TrustGod in all things; our daily routines, and smallest decisions.Anchor your soul in the Lord: People may let us down, but God is foreverfaithful. Even in the “valley of the shadow of death,” God is working for your good.Today, I challenge you to:1. Identify the Fear: Pinpoint where you are struggling to let go.2. Make the Choice: Verbally tell God that “I am putting this situation into Your hands.3. Step out in faith: Move forward with peace. Realize that trusting GodDoesn’t mean your problems disappear instantly, but it means you can have peace while He works them out.Let us pray:Heavenly Father,Today I choose to trust You with all my heart. Even when I do not understand thepath ahead of me. I lean on your wisdom instead of my own. I confess that I oftenlean on my own understanding and react with fear. Today, I chose to embrace aspirit of trust and move from fear to faith.Lord, remove the spirit of fear, and anxiety in my life. Help me to acknowledgeYour presence in every decision I make. I place my worries and my future in Yourhands. Strengthen me by Your Holy Spirit to walk in faith, love, and peace. Thankyou for your unconditional love that helps me embrace a spirit of trust., Lord. InJesus’ Name, Amen.SUBMITTED BY DEACON CATHERINE BEASLEY

Scripture: Ezekiel 36:26-27Contributor: ELDER ELLASHIA SPAULDINGAN INVITATION TO SURRENDERScripture:“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.  And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”Ezekiel 36:26-27Thought:Lent invites us into more than sacrifice; it invites us into surrender. In Ezekiel 36:26–27, God makes a promise that feels both intimate and powerful: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you.” Life has a way of hardening us. Disappointments, grief, betrayal, and seasons of silent endurance can slowly turn parts of our hearts to stone. We build protective layers just to survive, and if I’m honest, there were seasons when I didn’t even realize how guarded I had become. Yet God does not condemn us for the ways we have shielded ourselves. Instead, He lovingly promises replacement, not repair a heart of flesh where there was once stone. Renewal is not about striving harder or performing better; it is about allowing God to do an inner work that we cannot do on our own.True growth begins from the inside out. When God places His Spirit within us, transformation becomes more than behavior modification, it becomes heart restoration. A softened heart allows us to trust again, love again, and hope again. It allows us to release bitterness and choose peace, to embrace faith over fear, and to move forward without the weight of what once hardened us. This Lenten season is an invitation to believe that God is still shaping us, still refining us, still making us new. Renewal may feel uncomfortable at times, but it is holy work. And when we surrender to it, we discover that growth is not about becoming someone else, it is about becoming who God has always intended us to be.Prayer:Gracious and Renewing God,Thank You for Your promise to give us a new heart and a new spirit. You see the places where life has hardened us; the disappointments, the grief, the silent struggles, and yet you do not turn away. Instead, you offer renewal. Lord, soften what has become guarded, heal what has been wounded, and remove anything within us that no longer reflects Your love.As we journey through this Lenten season, help us surrender fully to the work You are doing inside of us. Teach us to embrace growth, even when it feels uncomfortable, and to trust that transformation begins with You. Fill us with Your Spirit so that we may walk in faith, extend grace, and live with hearts made new.In Jesus’ name,Amen.       SUBMITTED BY ELDER ELLASHIA SPAULDING

Scripture: John 20: 19-22Contributor: DEACON KETIA BROWNRESURRECTION HOPEOn the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.John 20: 19-22 NIVI can imagine the disciples’ hearts breaking as they mourned the loss of Jesus. The weight of grief, confusion, and fear must have felt unbearable. Everything they had hoped for seemed gone, and all that remained was uncertainty behind closed doors. We know that feeling. There are points in our lives when the pain is so deep, the situation so overwhelming, that we cannot see beyond what is directly in front of us. We wonder how we will get through. We feel stuck in the sorrow, the fear, the unknown. Like the disciples, we go into our own “closed rooms,” trying to make sense of it all. But it is in those very moments that Jesus shows up.He does not wait for everything to be put together. He does not need our perfect faith or understanding. He simply shows up right in the middle of our fear, our grief, our confusion and offers what we need most: peace. Jesus knows that we will experience pain. He understands our struggles and never minimizes them. Yet, he gently reminds us that we are not alone. He has not forsaken us. He is present, even when we cannot see him, even when the doors feel shut tight.Even in our most guarded places, even in the silence of our hardest moments, he enters in and reminds us of who he is; our savior, our comforter, our peace. We must remember what he has already done. He gave His life for us. He took on our sin, our shame, and our guilt not out of obligation, but out of love. He came into that room to make sure his disciples had peace before he left them. He meets us right where we are, not where we think we should be, but exactly where and when we need him most.Let us pray:Lord God, thank you for your peace that surpasses all understanding. Thank you for your mercy, love, kindness that knows no end. Lord God as we go through this season, let us remember that there is no closed door that can keep you away from us, let us remember what you did for us on the cross. Thank you for loving us more than we can ever love ourselves. In Jesus’ name I pray. AmenSUBMITTED BY DEACON KETIA BROWN

Scripture: Psalm 23Contributor: DEACON SUSAN GROENEVELDTGUIDANCE, ABUNDANCE, PROTECTION AND RESTORATION1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake.4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever. Psalm 23:1-6 NKJVPsalm 23 is familiar to many of us You may have learned it in Sunday School as a child or an adult. It is arguably one of the most well-known and beloved scriptures of all time. So much so that we may even take it a bit for granted. The psalm positions God as Shepherd. The role of a shepherd is to guide, protect and provide for his flock. We see that in our daily lives. If we look to God, He will guide us, order our steps and supply all our needs. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.3 He restores my soul;I especially love these 2 verses; they speak to the restoration and revival only God can provide. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort meHis protection is so complete, we can face anything, even something as formidable as the promise of death. His promise is to never leave us or forsake us. He fights the battles we may not have the strength to fight. That knowledge alone is so comforting. As the saying goes: Don’t tell God how big your storm is, tell the storm how big your God is! He is our protector.The psalmist David is a shepherd speaking to God. He is acknowledging the nature of his relationship to God. I don’t know any shepherds. I understand that they still exist but certainly not as much as they existed in David’s time. Yet this psalm has remained relevant for centuries. While I don’t know any shepherds, I do know many of us who work or have worked a variety of roles and functions in this modern world.Though we may not be near pastures daily, God can lead us to righteousness and rest anywhere. He can restore our soul wherever we may be.Whether we are at work, at home, or in our vehicle, He is there guiding protecting and providing. His love endures, forever. Though this psalm is so familiar, let us remember to fully appreciate this message of God’s deeply personal and protective relationship to us, His flock.Let us pray.Heavenly Father, Thank you God, Thank you for being there, and for providing for us every day. Oh God. Thank you for guiding our steps and for standing in the gap to protect us time and time again. So often, we come close to danger or even disaster, and you just yank us out of that problem, that issue, that dark place. It is you God who saves us, not because we deserve it, not because we’ve done anything special. It is because of Your grace that we are protected and provided for. And we remain so grateful oh God. Thank you Father. In Jesus holy name,AMEN.SUBMITTED BY DEACON SUSAN GROENEVELDT