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

Devotional 6-27-08

NO CELL PHONE NEEDED!

I love to walk in Ritter Park and I especially enjoy the different people who are in the park, walking, jogging, running. There are the mommies pushing strollers and getting their exercise at the same time. The dog owners leading every known breed from golden retrievers to dachsunds. The man who feeds the squirrels as he walks along. With his squirrel entourage followng him it's like a version of the Pied Piper.

The other morning I noticed a young woman talking on her cell phone as she went around the track. She seemed to be having a pleasant conversation with a friend. Personally I walk alone but a lot of walkers like to have a companion to chat with as they walk so I suppose a cell phone conversation could be a good substitute.

The refrain of an old hymn came to my mind. "And He walks with me and He talks with me...". What better time for a conversation with Him, no cell phone necessary. And what better Friend to walk with. "What a Friend we have in Jesus" indeed.

Now I walk with my greatest Friend and am grateful for the time of quietness in a small corner of the beautiful world He has created. What a blessing to find a few minutes each day when I can be more aware of Him. Not everyone has the inclination to walk in the park but somewhere in each busy day a time can be found for quietness in His presence. What a blessing is there just waiting to be claimed.

The LIGHT of God surrounds me
The LOVE of God enfolds me
The POWER of God protects me
The PRESENCE of God watches over me,
Wherever I am God is.

Jean Dean

Devotional 6-20-08

Passing the Mantle
The Summer Olympics are being played in 2008. The Track & Field relay races differ from other events in a significant way. In order to win (i.e. get a medal) each athlete must depend upon the performance of others! Participants in the first three “legs” must successfully pass the baton in a confined space—and having done so—after years of commitment, training, and sacrifice watch anxiously and helplessly. The athlete(s) running the “anchor” can only win for the team if the previous “legs” were effective.

Passing the baton is a part of life. Parents and teachers show us the way and then let go of the baton—passing it to us to do our part in our time before we pass it on to the next generation. The baton is passed in corporate leadership succession, in civic clubs, and in church congregations who pass the baton to their spiritual heirs. We rely on the work and the faith of those who came before us.

The Bible provides a history of spiritual succession. Abraham to Isaac to Jacob. Moses to Joshua. Elijah to Elisha. Paul to Timothy. These successions have survived for centuries beyond the pages of history and still are alive and vital, in spite of flawed leadership and stubborn laity.

Then there’s the spiritual succession that applies to us. It is recorded in Matthew 28:19, when Jesus passed the baton to you and me. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” I like the way Teresa of Avila said it: “Christ has no body on earth but yours; no hands but yours, no feet but yours. Yours are the eyes through which Christ can look with compassion upon the world. Christ has no body on earth but yours.”

Johnson Memorial United Methodist Church is the heir of faithful servants of the Lord who decided to make disciples of Christ on the corner of 10th Street and 5th Avenue in Huntington. For generations, the people of Johnson Memorial of celebrated joys and lifted each other up in sorrows; they have enjoyed good times and endured difficult times. Now is our time.

Next month marks a clergy transition as new pastors begin their appointments to the ministries of Johnson Memorial. The mantle is being passed, so to speak, from clergy to clergy. Is the future of Johnson Memorial in Jack Lipphardt’s hands? No, it is in God’s hands. And Christ has no hands on earth but yours and mine.

Anonymous

Devotional 6-13-08

If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him. --John 14:7

Happy Fathers' Day

When I was a kid, we had a puny magnolia tree which continually dropped its leaves, much to the chagrin of my father. He would pick them up, almost as soon as they hit the ground, and I would make fun of him and his compulsion. Fast forward several decades and now I have two large magnolia trees and every spring as I rake up bag after bag of those big, annoying leaves, I mutter to myself, "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father." (John 14:9).

In the past couple of years, I've reconnected with a high school classmate I hadn't seen in almost 40 years via the Internet. In our catching-up notes to each other she wrote: I've been meaning to let you know something about your dad. . I remember once when we were all going out, me, you and a couple of others (in my dad's 1967 silver and black GTO) I went to your door to get you and saw the most wonderful sight. .. your dad sitting in a chair in a darkened room and feeding your baby brother.. the one who was born during our senior year. I've never forgotten that beautiful sight.. . it has just stayed with me all this time.

I guess that scene stayed with her because my Dad was a hands-on dad in an era when many men bragged that they'd never changed a diaper. He always helped out with us kids and I could volunteer him to drive me and my girlfriends to away football games and he never complained, at least not so I could hear. Today, my younger brothers are wonderful, hands-on fathers, who are totally involved with their children. If you have seen them, you have seen their father.

One of my prized possessions is a letter my Dad sent shortly after I was married which contains these words, "Never forget that houses are just houses, but homes are filled with love." At the Last Supper, Jesus told his followers, "In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you with me that you may also be where I am." (John 14: 2-3).

How fortunate are we to have a hands-on savior? One who not only lived with us but goes on ahead to prepare a place for us, and even sent a Counselor, the Holy Spirit, to help us out in the meantime. Jesus told his disciples, "If a man loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him." (John 14:23).

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for loving us so much you want us to come home and live with you forever. In the name of your Son who showed us the way, amen.

Anita Gardner Farrell

Devotional 6-6-08

Come Follow Me” and “Go Where I Send Thee
Lectionary Readings: Genesis 12:1-9; Psalm 33:1-12; Romans 4: 13-25; Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26.

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.” Genesis 9:1-2

I’m not always compliant when someone orders me to do something. I’m much more likely to comply if the situation is explained and the time frame is reasonable. The best approach for me is some sort of request that can be refused if necessary, but God doesn’t often work that way, at least in our Bible stories. It seems that God does a lot of ordering, especially in the Old Testament. I cannot imagine the faith that Abraham had in God to do as God commanded—to leave his homeland and move his entire ‘clan’ to a new land he knew nothing about. I know I could find at least a million excuses for not paying attention to a message like that. Even in the New Testament, the disciples left their jobs and families when Jesus said: “Follow Me.” I’m pretty sure I couldn’t do that, if Jesus walked the earth today. But, what is God calling me to do?

The Bible has many stories of ordinary men complying with God’s commands (Noah, Samuel, etc.). We also have stories of those who tried to ignore God’s wishes at first hearing and the consequences of their actions (Jonah, Jacob, Moses, etc.). I know that God speaks to us through our prayer conversations, through our readings and music. He speaks to us through our leaders (ministers and teachers). God speaks through any number of friends and family members. He speaks through the beauty and wonder of nature. God also speaks to us through ordinary situations and in ordinary circumstances. The point is: ARE WE LISTENING? What is God calling you to do today? What task is on your heart? Where will you be asked to go? And then: WILL YOU DO AS GOD COMMANDS? The hymn below helps put into words my fears and concerns about God’s calling.

The Summons (from the Faith We Sing Hymnal p. 2130)

Will you come and follow me if I but call your name?
Will you go where you don’t know and never be the same?
Will you let my love be shown, will you let my name be known,
will you let my life be grown in you and you in me?

Will you leave yourself behind if I but call your name?
Will you care for cruel and kind and never be the same?
Will you risk the hostile stare should your life attract or scare?
Will you let me answer prayer in you and you in me?

Will you love the “you” you hide if I but call your name?
Will you quell the fear inside and never be the same?
Will you use the faith you’ve found to reshape the world around
Through my sight and touch and sound in you and you in me?

Lord, your summons echoes true when you but call my name.
Let me turn and follow you and never be the same.
In your company I’ll go where your love and footsteps show.
Thus I’ll move and live and grow in you and you in me.
by John Bell

Dear God, we come to you asking for the faith to open our lives to your call. We know your gifts are all that we need for any situation or command. We know that you will lead us through any situation with all the necessary skills and knowledge for the task. Be with all of your ministers who have been called to serve new congregations this summer. We know that you are already at work in their lives and in the hearts of those they will serve. Please, help us all to open our hearts and minds to your commands and then send us the courage to follow. Here am I, Send me. Amen

Chyrl Budd