Devotional 1-30-09

Lectionary Readings : Deuteronomy 18:15-20; Psalm 111; 1 Corinthians 8:1-13; Mark 1:21 -28

I love to eat ! I’m sure that won’t surprise many of you. I rarely miss meals and usually find an excuse to add a snack or two. I practice fooling myself that “I really don’t eat that much” or that “I am eating as healthy as possible”, but I know the truth. I make periodic resolutions to cut down on my intake and to get more exercise, but I regularly fail at these endeavors. You see: food is my all time-comfort-support activity. I eat when I’m sad, sorry, happy, lonely, afraid, excited, with friends, alone—I guess I eat “whenever”. Eating is not the problem though, but the amount that I take in is more than I need.

The church at Corinth asked Paul to teach them the proper procedures if they were asked to eat food that had been blessed to be offered to idols and what would happen if they actually ate in the temple of an idol. We don’t really have this problem in our culture, so it’s hard to relate to the concern. Paul replied that since we know there is really only one God, eating the food and worrying about its intended use at some pagan ritual should not really be the focus. “Food will not bring us close to God.” “We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.” 1 Corinthians 8: 8-9.

I was challenged anew when I read Paul’s admonition to avoid being a stumbling block to others. Food cannot bring me closer to God, but too much food can separate me from God. What kind of a role model am I? Is God asking me to change? Can I keep on saying to students and patients: “Do as I say, not as I do?”-- I don’t think so! I can no longer be an advocate for healthy living if I am not living up to the basic requirements. I am my own stumbling block and I am a stumbling block for those observing me.

God provides for everything that we need—at exactly the right time and place. I know that he communicates with us in many ways--through prayer, the scriptures, other writings and the witness of others, to name a few. I think that God is calling my name through these readings and asking me to own up to my over-indulgence and pray for forgiveness, as well as for the daily strength it will take to change my ways—even with Super Bowl Sunday this weekend. Can I be so bold as to suggest that those of you reading this might also have a habit that needs to change in order to be more complete in doing God’s will? Is there some activity in your life that is separating you from God? What is your stumbling block?

The choir has worked on the anthem “Order My Steps” by Glenn Burleigh. The words really hit home this morning as we sang them in the sanctuary. May the words become a prayer for all of us as we try to live more closely to God’s commandments. May you also find each day in the Word the message that is meant for you. May you be healed of any affliction that separates you from God or is a stumbling block to others. Nourish us with “soul-food” that fills us with faith, hope and love.

Dear Father and Mother of us all,

Order my steps in your Word, dear Lord, Lead me, guide me, every day.
Send your anointing, Father, I pray. Order my steps in your Word, please, order my steps in your Word.
Humbly I ask Thee, teach me your will, While you are working, help me be still.
Tho’ Satan is busy, God is real! Order my steps in your Word, please, order my steps in your Word!
I want to walk worthy, walk worthy Lord, my calling to fulfill.
Please order my steps, Lord, and I’ll do your blessed will.
The world is ever changing, but You are still the same,
If you order my steps, I’ll praise your name.
Order my steps in your Word, order my tongue in your Word; guide my feet in your Word,
wash my heart in your Word. Show me how to walk in your Word, show me how to talk in your Word.
When I need a brand new song to sing, show me how to let your praises ring, in your Word!
Please order my steps in your Word.
AMEN.

Chyrl Budd

Devotional 1-23-09

NO!! I don’t wanna, I’m not gonna and you can’t make me. You’re not the boss of me! In an air stabbing motion, our arms are crossed – swoop swoop, a great blast of breath from our nostrils and there >> that’s that. PERIOD, end of story. Or is it?

How do you know when God is talking to you? Do you know when God is talking to you? When I feel like I should have a better idea I remember that some of our Bible heroes were less than on the ball when God was ready to press them into service. Moses argued with a bush. Samuel? Well, we’ll give Samuel a break because he was a kid and just getting started – but, Eli? Come on. He was a seasoned God-man and it took him three times being visited by Samuel to recognize that it was God speaking.

One of the scriptures given for use for this devotional period is from Jonah. Ah, Jonah. Now there is a guy who heard but chose another path. I could not find a reference that explained why Jonah did not like the people of Nineveh , but the Bible makes it very clear HE DID NOT. He disliked them so much that he was willing to blatantly wave his arm in the air and say -- to God nonetheless -- “Talk to the hand.”

Back to the question -- how do you know when God is talking to you? Words like conscience, free will and gut feeling come to mind. Sometimes we sense that there is a need that someone could really use help. Our “right & wrong o-meter” is dinging wildly, and yet we ignore it and go on about our business. Let’s kick it up a notch. What if the person that needs help is on our Top 10 List of People We Do Not Like? What if we would rather hop a boat to Tarshish or Cincinnati instead of, not just helping, but speaking to, looking at or generally acknowledging this person as a fellow human? We often hide in our warm houses, our moving cars, our church. If by some miracle we mellow enough to stomach a half hearted gesture of good will, we do so KNOWING that our helpee -- our adversary -- will never accept the help or acknowledge what we are trying to accomplish.

But wait, oh, my goodness – what if they did? Could we handle it? I have not seen a modern day story of anyone spending time in the belly of a fish for disobedience, but is it possible that we spend our three days (or longer) in the belly of another monster - guilt? Is guilt another way God is saying, “I told you what I needed and you walked on by.”? Every once in a while I hear God in the distant voice of my mother. “Two wrongs don’t make a right,” “If you can’t say something nice…,” and her spin on the golden rule, “Do unto others….”

This is the age of technology. The age of caller ID. When God calls, don’t let Him get Voice Mail – “Hi this is Steve; sorry I missed your call. Please leave your name, number and a message and I’ll get back to you. Thanks.” BEEEEP! Try hard to recognize the caller, answer, and say “Here I am Lord, send me.”

Steve Matthews

Devotional 1-16-09

Please read Psalm 139: 1-6 and 13-18

“For thou didst form my inward parts;
Thou didst knit me together in my mother’s womb.”

God knits, just like Mom.

The 139th Psalm is one of my very favorites. It is comforting to know that the great and powerful Creator of the universe knows me, even me. No matter where I go, even in the darkest places, God is there with me.

But what I really like about the 139th Psalm of the motherly image of a God who knits.

When Mom wasn’t cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, tending after her children, attending school or church functions, or busy with the many other household tasks, she was knitting. Knitting was her idle pastime. She knitted in the car, in waiting rooms, and knitted while she watched television. If she had a few moments between tasks, she’d knit a few rows.

Mom’s love for her four children is like God’s love described by the Psalmist; no matter how secretive we thought we were, Mom knew what we were up to. There was no fooling her; the good news is that Mom and God love us anyway.

Recently, I was re-organizing my closet and I found that after a half year on Weight Watchers, I can again wear my favorite sweater knit by Mom. It is a heavy argyle pattern with suede patches on the elbows. It is a tangible indication of the motherly love with which it was knit. And inside the collar is sewn her label, “Taylor-Made.” It is comfortable.

Speaking of comfort, I am not uncomfortable with the image of God as Father; but I think we miss something if we limit our understanding of God. Bring Many Names, a hymn written by Brian Wren, which is in our United Methodist hymnal supplement, The Faith We Sing, addresses this. Check out the second verse:

“Strong mother God, working night and day,
planning all the wonders of creation,
setting each equation, genius at play,
Hail and Hosanna, strong mother God.”

I am thankful for a knitting God and a knitting Mom, both of whom comfort their loved ones.

Jeff Taylor

Devotional 1-9-09

Be My Voice

Psalm 29

I depend on you, God’s many angels.
I count on you, His heavenly creations,
To praise his name,
When my lips fall silent,
When I stand here, a creature of dust,
Made silent in amazement at his glory.
Fill the heavens with His praises,
Glorify his name with your sweet songs,
For there are times when my throat closes,
And my tongue falls silent.
There are times when his majesty is too great
For my feeble songs and my useless words.

His voice is never silent.
It echoes across the waters
Lifting waves in its wake.
His voice is powerful,
Thunderous,
Mighty and glorious.
His voice is majesty.

The bass of his voice makes mighty trees tremble.
Even the most towering,
Even the ones which seem to reach all the way to heaven.
The tenor strains lift me to my feet,
And give me wings to skip like a child.

His voice has the heat and flash of fire,
It shakes the wilderness,
It thunders across empty land,
Land not seen by anyone.
His voice even reaches to the wilderness of my heart,
His breath warms my coldness.

His mighty voice,
His powerful exhalation,
Stirs the leaves of the trees
Whips them around as if a mighty storm were passing.
His exhaled breath,
Strips away the leaves,
Strips away my pretenses.
Leaves us all bare,
Until all that we have left
Is to glorify his name.

Our mighty God sits high in heaven,
Enthroned as a king
A reassurance for all of eternity.
He gives me strength.
He gives us strength.
He creates in us a mighty and powerful ability
To do His work in the world.
He rules from heaven,
And he gives us the wonderful blessing of peace.

Praise His name and His mighty works,
Be my voice, all you angels,
For when I stand here speechless.

Kim Matthews

Advent to Epiphany Devotionals

During the Advent Season, we post our devotionals at the Johnson Memorial Advent Devotional blog.

Please be our guest, and go to www.jmadvent.blogspot.com

Have a blessed Christmas season

Devotional 11-28-08

We sing of Thanksgiving
Inspired by Psalm 65

We open our thoughts.
Our minds, our hearts, our spirits
in praise of you, our God.

We open our sins to you, our God,
when they threaten to overwhealm us,
when we are drowning, unable to catch our breath
in the suffocation of them.
You free us.
You forgive us.
And we are alive again.
All praise and thanksgiving
We lift to you.

We open our hearts to you, our God.
You draw us close in your unconditional,
Unbreakable
Unfathonable
Love for us.
You transform our lives to joy,
and we celebrate our time
spent in your presence,
in your house,
in your Holy Kingdom.

We open our minds to understand you, our God.
We see you at work in your world
We try to grasp what you do
as you deliver us from evil.
You bring us alive in hope.
Hope.
Hope that is larger than we could ever grasp.
And yet you tempt us
Encourage us
Convince us
To believe.

We open our eyes, and we see you, our God.
We see your mountains, which you shaped with your power.
We hear the silence of the sea, the roaring of the water,
The voices of your children.
The morning whispers your name.
The evening echoes your breath.
The trees lift their hands to your in gratitude for the rain
The rivers dance to your bidding.
And we are fed.

We open our lives to you, our God,
and offer them in thanksgiving.
You shape the earth
And bring it to life
You shape our lives
as we live them here on earth.
Time itself is witness to your royalty,
The land is overwhelmd by your bounty.
Creation itself is joy.

We lift our voices in praise of you, our God
And we join in the hymn of the world.
We sing counterpoint to the praise of your creatures,
crossing your land
We clap in syncopation to the heads of grain
moving in the wind.
We join in creation's praise
as it shouts and sings together for joy.

All praise and glory is yours, our God,
and we come to you
raising our voices in thanksgiving,
for our song has no end.

Kim Matthews

Devotional 11-21-08

USE IT AND LOSE IT
Readings: Zephaniah 1:7, 12-18; Psalm 123; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11; Matthew 25:14-30

Quotes like “Nothing ventured, nothing gained” surface, as does the statement “If you prefer security to opportunity, you’re doomed from the start.” Both of these have a significant relationship to Jesus’ parable of the Talents.

The parable itself is part of the farewell discourse on the Mount of Olives during which Jesus predicts the fall of Jerusalem. Jesus also reveals signs that will precede his personal return. After telling the parable of the Fig Tree, Jesus gives four other parables: the Thief in the Night, the Faithful and Wicked Servants, the Ten Virgins, and the parable of the Talents—our text.

In this parable a master travels to another country, leaving his capital in the hands of three servants. Today we use the word talent to refer to some special ability or aptitude one might have, as for example, a talent in music or art. However, in Jesus’ time talent referred to wealth and was not a coin but a measure of weight. A silver talent for example, was worth about $1,000. (Some translations indicate the servant hid his master’s silver.)

Suffice to say, a talent amounted to a considerable amount of money. The servant who received five talents and the one who received two talents traded them, each doubling his capital. The servant with only one talent did not attempt to invest but dug a hole and hid it in the ground.

When the master returned there was a day of reckoning. With joy the servants who had invested their capital made their reports. To each of them the master said, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!”(v. 21 NIV).

The man who received the single talent also reported. The reprimand of this servant was as severe as the master’s commendation for the other two servants was glorious. This servant was called wicked and lazy, the opposite of good and faithful.

The master took away the one talent this servant had, gave it to the one who now had ten talents, and expelled the unfaithful servant from his presence. This is figuratively expressed as being thrown into the darkness.

Jesus adds no explanation of the parable, yet the emphasis is on service. Blessings bring responsibility and accountability. God’s gifts are tools to be used in the divine kingdom and not prizes to enjoy along the way. In a very real sense we use these gifts or we lose them. This may be disturbing or sound harsh, but it is true.

What of our talents? Talents come in all sizes and shapes. God blesses everyone with some talent—the just as well as the unjust. Lest we become proud of our particular talent, the Bible notes that we are given talents “according to our . . . ability.” All people are created equal only in the sense that all have equal chance to prove themselves. Somewhere along the line we all realize we are unequal in looks, in opportunity, in advantages, even in mental capacity. When you get right down to it, all talents are undeserved.

One thing, however, is supremely clear. God expects each of us to perform up to our own capability. The five-talent individual is expected to produce five additional talents and the two-talent individual is not condemned if he only produces two additional talents. The one-talent person was not required to produce five talents! You might say all talents are like coins: on one side is written “endowment” and on the other, “accountability.”

Never forget that the reward for faithfulness is greater opportunity and greater responsibility. Both the five-talent and the two-talent person were given additional talents, which meant more responsibility. Polio vaccine inventor Dr. Jonas Salk said it well: “The greatest reward for doing is the opportunity to do more.” If you think because of your faithfulness you will be relieved of further responsibility, think again!

The “villain” in this parable is the one-talent individual. In calling this person “wicked,” Jesus used the same term he used six times in reference to Satan, seven times in a general sense, and only two times related to a character outside Satan. “Wicked” is a strong, strong word in the Bible.

Far too many church members are doing exactly what this one-talent person did. Afraid of any risk, they bury their talent and refuse to get involved in meaningful Christian service of any kind. These people minimize the talent they have.

How many church members do you know who “used to” sing, “used to” teach, “used to” visit, “used to” help around the church? Look at them now and realize this parable is so true to life—you really do lose what you refuse to use! Obviously, God expects from each of us faithfulness, dependability, tenacity, diligence, and discipline. Anything else merits no commendation from God, only condemnation. We bring it on ourselves.

George Buttrick, in his fine book, The Parables of Jesus, tells of visiting an ancient abbey in France named “Our Lady of the Risk.” Upon investigation he found this was a reference to none other than Mary, the mother of Jesus, who risked everything to have the Christ child. What was the master looking for from his servants when he returned from his journey? Not fame, but faithfulness. Not genius, but goodness. Not degrees, but dependability. Those God commends are those willing to work while others play, to study while others sleep, to risk all for God’s sake rather than play it safe for their own sake.

The practical appeal of the parable is clear. This parable is a stimulus to faithfulness in service, knowing of a sure and glorious reward. At the same time, it is a warning against sloth or laziness, knowing the sure and certain loss.

Written by Drew J. Gunnells Jr.
For J. Jasper