Devotional 8-1-08

You Give Them Something to Eat
Please read Matthew 14:13-21

The story of the miraculous feeding of the 5000 has always been one of my favorite bible stories. I learned about it in Bible School . In the version I first learned, a boy about my age was the hero. I could imagine myself handing over my lunch to Jesus' disciples and watching as Jesus used it to feed the multitudes. It wasn't until I was much older that I discovered the little boy is only in one of the four gospel accounts of the miracle. Matthew, Mark, and Luke do not mention a little boy.

This is the only miracle that occurs in each of the four gospels, so it must be pretty important. What does it mean for us today?

Today's passage starts out in verse 13 with "[w]hen Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself..." This was the murder of John the Baptist. Imagine that you are one of the twelve, and you have given up everything to follow Jesus. I imagine the disciples were afraid; if John the Baptist had been killed, maybe Jesus (and they) would be next.

Even though Jesus wanted to get away to be by himself, he put himself in the place of the crowds. Verse 14 tells us he had compassion for the crowds that followed. He felt for them, and put their needs first before his own need to be by himself. The disciples wanted to get rid of the crowds, to send them home; they wanted to be left alone. They wanted to eat, and they only had enough for themselves.

It doesn't seem that unreasonable to me that the disciples would want to get rid of the crowds. They needed time to regroup, to relax, to refresh. They didn't have food enough for the large crowd.

Jesus gave a harsh command. "You give them something to eat."

The disciples offered their defenses, but Jesus wouldn't hear them. They protested that they only had a few loaves of bread and a couple fish. "Bring them to me."

The disciples obeyed, and the results were miraculous. Jesus took what was offered, gave thanks, and then distributed it. Not only was everyone fed, but also there were plenty of leftovers.

We view the world through eyes of scarcity in the midst of abundance. There's not enough time; not enough money; not enough resources; not enough help; not enough people. When we offer what we have to Jesus, miracles happen. There is more than enough, if we are willing to obey Jesus' command.

"You give them something..."

Jeff Taylor

Devotional 7-25-08

Reflection
My business is light. Not lite beer, lite bread, lite bagels or lite blueberry pie -- nothing really advantageous to the waist line but just light. The kind of light you use to see to read a book, build a shelf, cook a meal, change the oil from underneath your car, and the kind of light you block with your Foster Grants while on the beach or by a saluting hand when you step from a dark place (like a movie matinee) into the sun. I have spent many hours over the past 17 years learning about light. We can all probably remember meeting Roy G. Biv when we were kids in science class. Red -- Orange -- Yellow -- Green -- Blue -- Indigo -- Violet. Roy' s namesake lines up perfectly when sunlight is passed through a prism onto a surface such as the sidewalk or a wall. Red to violet represents what is called the visible spectrum. This radiant energy is measured in nanometers and this particular, visible range is from 380nm to 780nm. On one end of the spectrum is infrared and on the other, ultraviolet. I know what you're thinking, "Get to the point, man, I didn't like this stuff then, and I don't especially like it now." Stay with me. Who hasn't smiled at little Trixie of Hi and Lois fame as she sat near the window and talked to her sunbeam? As a child I used to like seeing the particles floating in the wedge of light as the beam pierced its way into the living room. As an adult (and probably with the same chagrin my parents felt then) I know what all that floatie stuff is -- it's "not often enough vacuuming." Ok, ok, here is the point. You can not SEE light. The evidence of light is seen by our eyes only when it is reflected off of something else. Reflected off the road, the neighbor's car, the puddle of rain on the front stoop, the kitchen counter, a magazine page, a friend's face and yes, the dust floating in the sunbeam that visits through your window.

As recorded in John chapter 8 verse 12, Jesus said, "I am the light of the world." In order for many in this world, in this town, in this church to see Jesus He is going to have to be reflected off of something -- US. As we are kept out of the darkness by the light of Christ, we must reflect that warmth and love to all around us. Could there be a better job than to have a brother or sister see and know God because He was reflected through your life?

Steve Matthews

Devotional 7-18-08

Surely the Presence
Last Sunday, before Sunday school, I stood in the JM sanctuary. I know it's just a room, but often when I stand there, when it's empty and quiet, I feel like it echoes with the presence of God. Maybe the quiet just makes finding Him easier, or maybe there is a spiritual memory of all of the times He has made himself known to me in that room, but often when I need a moment with God, I can find Him there.

One of the lectionary readings this week is Genesis 28:10-19a. It is the story of Jacob. He is on the run, leaving home, when he falls asleep in the wilderness. He sees angels ascending and descending a ladder. God is standing next to Jacob, and He retells him about the promise made to Abraham and now to Jacob, and then says, "Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you."

When Jacob wakes up, he says, "Surely the LORD is in this place -- and I did not know it!"

Sometimes I think that we come into church -- the building or the group of people God has formed into His Church, and we don’t think to look for God. If He were to walk up to us, and stand beside us, retelling us of His promises to us, we would be surprised to find that He was in church at all.

With our Vision and Mission before us, we are in the process of stepping out in faith. Andy Stanley, a minister in Georgia, says that the bridge between hope and faith is the promise of God. God promised Jacob, and He promises us that He will never leave us; He is always with us.

Surely the presence of God is in this Church.

There will be risks that we will be asked to take as we live into God's dreams for His Church. There will be times when we might be afraid. Stepping out into unknown is frightening. I know that it is. We should never forget that the presence of the Lord is in His Church. This Church -- this body of Christ that is assembled and meets on the corner of 5th Avenue and 10th Street -- is the dwelling place of God. Do not be afraid, for He is with us.

Jacob called the place where he found God, "Bethel ." Bethel means "house of God." This building, this sanctuary, this assembly of God's Children into the Body of Christ -- all of them are the dwelling places of God.

We are blessed by God to be a blessing. Do not be afraid. Just step out of the boat and walk on the water.

Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place
I can feel His mighty power and His grace
I can hear the brush of angels' wings
I see glory on each face
Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place
(lyrics by Lanny Wolfe)

Kim Matthews

Devotional 7-11-08

"The Devil"
I have always believed in God. I have not always believed in the devil. Flip Wilson used to tell us "The devil made me do it!" It was a joke. The devil was a joke. A one dimensional figure that I really didn't believe existed. Over the last several years I have come to believe he not only exists, but is alive and well! If I believe in a loving God, and I do, then I have to believe in the devil. Nothing else explains why terrible things happen to good people, why people betray one another, brutalize one another. It is easy to be overwhelmed by all of the pain and sadness in this world. In the book The Will Of God. Leslie D. Weatherhead writes that this is not Gods will, but Satan trying to separate us from God. It is Gods will that we react to evil in a positive, creative way to wrest good out of evil circumstances.

Unfortunately the Devil not only is at work on the big life and death matters, he is also at work in each of our lives. Do you ever have a mean, nasty thought pop into your head? I do, and I'll look up and say to myself, "Where did that come from?" It came from the devil sewing his seeds of anger, greed, and selfishness.. I have a good friend who has a bit of a temper. Often when he is in the middle of a snit his wife will look at him and ask him if the devils on his back. The devil is on all of our backs at times, and we all need someone to ask us that question. We need to ask God how He wants us to handle the bad situations-both big and small. We need to keep the devil off our backs because as the song goes,you can't dance with the devil on your back!

Margaret Williams

Devotional 7-4-08

John 8:36: Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

As I reflect upon July Fourth and freedom, I am ever so grateful to live in this country. To go and come as I will and the law will allow, is a blessing. I am grateful too, for the freedom of choice that Jesus has given to me. I may not always make the right choices, but I have the freedom to do so. Jesus trusts me to make the right choice and I trust Jesus to guide me in doing so.

Also reflecting on this day are the words and tune of Irving Berlin, "God Bless America".

God bless America,
Land that I love,
Stand beside her and guide her
Thru the night with a light from above;
From the mountains to the prairies
To the oceans white with foam
God bless America,
My home sweet home.

I believe I am correct in quoting Tiny Tim from Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol", "God Bless us, Every One."

Happy Fourth of July to you all and God Bless you.

Kay Lewis