Devotional 7-1-11

In the Voice there was an article about the spring storms. Having just returned from Oklahoma to visit our daughter Julie and her family. I would like to share about our trip that took us on inter-state 44 thru a very small portion of Joplin Missouri that was devastated with a very deadly tornado. On the way out we did not know if we would see anything about the loss that went on there. As we were driving thru Joplin we began to see about a two block space on inter-state 44. As I said it was only a very minimal portion of what went on there. To the right we saw downed trees,debris that was unbelievable [siding from houses, clothing, paper , and a vast array of things hanging out of blown down trees]. To the left there were homes very much like our own. I am talking about all brick houses. They were totally blown in from the front . Trees were totally uprooted and huge road signs were broken like tinker toys. Traveling a little further up the inter-state we saw a flag pole that had survived the winds. There was a huge American flag flying at half mast. Her bottom stripe had been partially torn off and she was really frayed but she was proudly there showing all that they she had survived that they would indeed survive.

On the way back home we traveled back across that same area. We saw the power company restoring power. Men were out with their chainsaws cutting apart the downed trees, tarps were covering roofs, and people were cleaning up the debris. Perhaps that will be their firewood for next winter. Volunteers were notified of the exit to take to sign up to help. And the large frayed flag was still flying at half mast. Nature may have it's way, but human nature will always survive thru faith and our willingness to help each other in times of trouble. It was truely a humbling exprience. Please keep the people of Joplin in your prayers.
 
Jean Ramsey

Devotional 6-24-11

Resurrection Reality PEACE
John 20:19-31

Do you remember how Walter Cronkite used to close his broadcast by saying, “And that’s the way it is”? Such is a world vision that reflects the painfulness of reality. It is an echoing of the somber words of agnostic Bertrand Russell: “Brief and powerless is Man’s life; on him and all his race the slow, sure doom falls pitiless and dark.”

Life on Easter evening for the disciples opens in a somber, fearful mood. John reports, “When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews.” Huddled behind locked doors, the followers of Jesus are struggling.

Today, we struggle with reality, we doubt like Thomas did. I have I been in a season of doubt since Oct. 24, 2010 when my brother died. I didn’t doubt God in 1972 when I was laying beside my mother, and she never woke up at the age of 43, and I was 9. I didn’t doubt in 1981 when I was a freshmen in college and my brother David called to tell me that my brother John had been killed. I didn’t doubt in 1979 when my grandmother who raised me died. But my life fell apart when David died. I have questioned God, and the God I serve is big enough, deep enough, strong enough, wise enough to handle my doubts and my questions. In fact the biggest venue on television is the genre of so-called reality TV. I’ve got this great idea for reality TV. It would be the ultimate survivor show. Take a guy who is obviously a religious fanatic. So much so that he believes he’s the messiah, the savior of the world. Then you could have authorities who are out to get him. Let’s say they succeed and put him to death. But how’s this? He rises from the dead after three days. Now that is a survivor! His reality changes our reality.

He didn’t just survive. He triumphed! Now that is real reality, resurrection reality peace. It is way beyond the survivor. Now comes the really great part; you can be a part of the show.

Resurrection reality peace takes us way beyond the survivor. “Peace be with you,” the Savior said. Jesus offers reality that is so much better than just struggling to survive. In resurrection reality, our Lord and Savior offers a spiritual peace that triumphs in the midst of the raging storms of modern living. Reality TV says that the purpose of life is to claw your way ahead, to do everything you possibly can to make money, to win in the end, to survive by being number one regardless of what happens to others.

Resurrection reality peace with Jesus offers a purpose that is far beyond just looking out for number one or just advancing your career or just earning money.

Jesus said, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” Resurrection reality peace is about living your life to the mighty purposes of God. It is about advancing the kingdom of God through evangelistic witness and the deeds of love and mercy. Reality television is about living life for insignificant goals. Resurrection reality peace is about the opposite—living life for the greatest goal of all, the advancement of God’s kingdom here on earth, the sharing of the gospel of Jesus Christ by words and deeds. To what purpose are you living? Is it reality TV or resurrection reality peace? Resurrection reality peace is just the opposite. It is not all up to you. Jesus “breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’ ”Many of us live with the functional atheism of reality TV. Resurrection reality peace is completely contrary to that. It is living in the conviction that God is not asleep or in a coma but will act with you and through you, empowering you to accomplish the impossible for God’s kingdom. We are not alone. God is with us, in history and in our lives, transforming them with a resurrection reality peace. “Receive the Holy Spirit.” Which do you choose? Will you live on your own power, exhausted and struggling, or will you open yourself to the mighty power of God? Peace, purpose, power—three things we all desperately need. TV reality offers no peace, only the running of the rat race. It offers no purpose beyond the accumulation of money, place, or pleasure. It offers no power beyond your own limited resources. Resurrection reality peace offers peace for a purpose with power. It breaks through locked doors and banishes fear. This can be yours. You won’t be voted off the island but rather have reality shaped day by day and moment by moment through the risen Lord and Savior who, in the power of the Holy Spirit, stands in our midst this hour. Just Believe. I believe Thomas. I believe church. I believe Jeremiah. God help my unbelief. Amen

Preached on May 1, 2011 at Johnson Memorial UMC by Jeremiah A. Jasper

Devotional 6-17-11

Pentecost

Brothers and Sisters In Christ Jesus,

Last Sunday we celebrated the birthday of the Church, not our congregation, Johnson Memorial, but the Christian Church. Sunday was Pentecost, the day the Spirit of God came upon the first disciples and the Church was born.

The account of this miraculous birth is in the second chapter of the book of Acts. It is a dramatic story, a story of wind and fire and the gift of understanding. The disciples finally understood their mission in the world and those who were witnesses to the event understood the Good News of God in their own native language. We are a Church, a People, born of God's Spirit, born of the wind and fire of God. The image of wind says that we are the people of God in action, moving, causing things to happen, even moving things around a bit. Wind by definition cannot be still. Still air is not wind. And the fire of Pentecost says that the Church has the power, heat and light of God. The Church of Jesus Christ is empowered by the Holy Spirit to be God's agents, God's witnesses in the world. The Church is to be an energetic, dynamic, and vibrant community of faith. It is the Body of Christ in and for the world.

So, this week read the second chapter of Acts and come to worship on Sunday as the windy, fiery people of God.

Grace and Peace,
Jim Perry

Devotional 6-10-11

Come Spirit Come!

Who can see the night sky in all of it’s starry glory or the awakening of the earth after the dead of winter and not believe in God? Every day brings new discoveries from the unexplored depths of land and sea. The possibilities and healing miracles seem only to be limited by mans ability to perceive. Science is marvelous and amazing. But what is science if not God’s miraculous plan? Man is a key part of God’s plan. We are all part of a bigger picture. Each of us is a small part of a bigger plan than any of us can imagine.

Each of us is a unique creation of God, each with our own special talents, abilities and gifts. Sometimes we are aware of our talents and abilities, but sometimes God calls us to step out of our comfort zones. He asks us to do things we can’t imagine doing. But, He doesn’t ask us to do them alone. When God calls us to take that leap of faith out of our comfort zone into His great cosmos, know that He has also given us the Holy Spirit to sustain us and give us the inner strength to accomplish whatever He is asking.

Ten days after Jesus ascended to heaven He sent the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit came and turned the disciples into apostles. A disciple is a follower and a learner. Is that not what we are? God uses each of us. We don’t have to be perfect or brilliant. We only have to be willing. Peter denied Jesus 3 times, yet God forgave Peter and sent the Holy Spirit to turn him into an apostle--a messenger, a missionary. God will do the same for each of us, if we open ourselves up to Him and the opportunities He has for each of us to use the unique talents He has given us. Open yourself up to God, be a part of His amazing plan!

Margaret Williams

Devotional 6-3-11

Ephesians 1:15-19: I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power.

One of the blessings of my life is that I am part of the ministry of the United Methodist Foundation of West Virginia, serving as Associate Director. Part of what we do is to serve as the Trustee for endowment funds and custodian for churchs' reserve funds. We often explain to people that we have a conservative investment policy with a goal of achieving a reasonable return while following socially responsible principles.

I was privileged to attend the funeral this week for Gordon Scott, a member of the Ashland Area Emmaus Community. His son said of him, "He was a shrewd investor who invested his life in the things that mattered."

What does it mean to be a shrewd investor in life? As I think about it, perhaps the same three investment goals we have at the Foundation could be applied to this question.

A conservative investment policy for our lives means that we do not lose the gifts we have been given. God calls us to invest our time wisely so that it is not wasted, to use our talents for his glory rather than allowing them to wither away from disuse, and to share our spiritual gifts so that others see God through what we do. We are called to invest what we have been given in the things that matter. What matters in your life? Is that how you invest your gifts?

Do we expect and produce a reasonable return on what we invest? Do we see the fruit of our investments? Gordon was involved in Scouting, in his church, in the Emmaus Community. He had friends and family who gathered to mourn his death. He invested his time and gifts in all of these, and all present could see that his investments were bearing fruit. The lives of youth have been changed. Others have seen God through his efforts. The faith of Christian leaders in the church has been strengthened and developed through the Walk to Emmaus program. And his voice will continue to echo through all of these ministries long after he is gone. As the Ephesians passage says, can others hear of our faith and our love of Christ as it echoes through what we do?

Do we listen for the revelation of God's wisdom? Do we invest our lives following the guidance of God? Do God's principles and priorities guide what we do?

Am I a shrewd investor? Are you? We have a glorious inheritance from our Creator; we have access to immeasurable power and an incredible hope. Do we use what God has given use wisely so that it produces fruit, and do we trust and obey our Lord? Are we shrewd investors in the things that matter?

Kim Matthews