Devotional 6-9-17

Separation is Hell

Genesis 1:4  Common English Bible (CEB)
⁴ God saw how good the light was. God separated the light from the darkness.

On April 15, 1960, Rod Serling’s show, The Twilight Zone, aired an episode entitled “A Nice Place to Visit”.  Of course, the title came from the saying, “It’s a nice place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live here.”  The story was about a ne’er- do- well named Henry “Rocky” Valentine who was shot by the police while robbing a pawn shop.

When Rocky awakens, he is greeted by a fellow named Pip who provides him with money, a furnished apartment, and women. Naturally, Rocky thinks that there’s been some sort of mistake, and he’s been admitted into Heaven!

This arrangement is wonderful - until it’s not. When Rocky wants a certain food it’s there. When he wants a certain woman, she’s there. And when he bets on a certain game, he wins – every time.

Eventually he grows bored with the situation and tells Pip that he’s tired of Heaven and wants to go to “the other place”. Pip laughs and tells him he’s not in Heaven. It is then that Rocky realizes he’s stuck in a place that offers no challenge and no hope. He’s separated from goodness. He’s separated from God. He is in Hell.

I was probably seven or eight when I saw this episode, but it made a lasting impression on me. It, along with my family and church, reminded me that to experience true joy, one had to work for it. Not because that’s what God demanded, but that it’s what comes when disappointment is replaced by hope, or hard work brings about happiness for oneself and others.

But no matter what we do, there will be times of darkness. It is then that we must ask for God’s love. No, he doesn’t need a reminder. He loves us always. But we need the reminder that we are loved always – no matter what hardship we face or terrible thing we’ve done.
It’s a shame that someone hadn’t taught Rocky Valentine about God’s love. Rocky could have said, “This is a nice place to visit, but I don’t want to live here. Separation is Hell.”

Our prayer comes from England Dan and John Ford Coley:
Light of the world, shine on me. Love is the answer.
Shine on us all; set us free. Love is the answer.
Amen

Becky Warren

Devotional 6-4-17

Acts 2:1-4 (Common English Bible)

¹When Pentecost Day arrived, they were all together in one place. ² Suddenly a sound from heaven like the howling of a fierce wind filled the entire house where they were sitting. ³ They saw what seemed to be individual flames of fire alighting on each one of them. ⁴ They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them to speak.

As a deacon, part of my calling is to help lead the church out of the building and into the world -- our great commission is to go and make disciples, after all!  But it is important to remember and rejoice in the aspects of unity and fellowship that being together in one place provides.  The apostles were together regularly to eat and to talk and to remember their time with Christ when, on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came to them.

Many have asked about our current renovation work - why are we doing it, can we afford it, what are we going to do with the new space?   Again, as a deacon, part of my calling is to help lead the church OUT of the building.  But in our ministry context, we are literally within the mission field of those needing the hope and love of Christ as much as anyone anywhere in the world.  We face unprecedented rates of addiction, which is causing unprecedented rates overdoses, incarceration, and broken families.  

Johnson Memorial UMC has been abundantly blessed by many generous families through the years.  Many have left gifts to the church designated solely for building improvements and upgrades.  With the help of many in the church, we have visioned and discerned how ministry in Huntington, at Johnson Memorial United Methodist Church, might look in a building that is more easily accessible to all, a building that is inviting and welcoming to our neighbors, a building that has space available for other groups and churches to do ministry alongside us.

But the building is still just a building.  With the improvements to the physical structure, we must continue to pray for the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives and the life of our church.  We must pray for the ability to speak in the language of those around us, the ability to connect with those who need to know the love of Christ, through us.  And we must pray that as we gather together, it is with the expectancy that the Holy Spirit will continue to come upon us, giving us the power and the courage to go and make disciples of all the nations, starting at our front door!

Rev. Alan Williams

Devotional 5-12-17

“Hear  Our  Prayer”

Psalm 31, verses 1-5,
Verses 15 and 16:  “My times are in Thy hands: deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors.   Let thy face shine upon thy servant; save me in thy steadfast love.”

A vivid childhood memory is that of observing my grandmother pack boxes to be shipped to Poland. Years before, at the conclusion of the First World War, the Methodist Episcopal Church, South sent several persons to Europe to determine where the Church might establish a presence to relieve some of the suffering inflicted from the War.  Poland was one of the countries.  Now, years later my grandmother received a letter from a person she knew writing on behalf of the Methodists remaining in Warsaw.  Life was difficult due to hardships imposed by the Communist regime.  They were in dire need of medicines and warm clothing. Could she help? There were challenges in mailing packages to Poland as boxes were frequently opened, searched and inspectors kept what they wanted for themselves.  This did not deter my grandmother.  Friends from church donated clothing requested. Whenever a new garment was given, she was off to the scrub board in the basement to fray the fabric just enough to make it unappealing to inspectors. A physician in the church donated medications normally dispensed by prescriptions only.  I watched as she skillfully sewed medications, one pill at a time, into the lining of a man’s overcoat or another prescription into the hem of a heavy wool skirt.  Some might say that she was ahead of the times in shipping pills into a country undetected!  She later learned that while not all boxes arrived completely intact, many did.  Certainly those who received the contents felt not only blessed but that a prayer had been answered.

A lectionary reading for this week is selected verses from Psalm 31 including the verses quoted above. It is a psalm attributed to David.   The psalmist prayed to God to save him from the hands of his adversaries.   While we do not know a lot about those persecuting him, it is clear that the psalmist placed his trust and reliance upon the steadfast love of the Lord.  He prayed to God to deliver him.  I was reminded when reading this passage how many times throughout history God has worked through ordinary persons to answer the prayers of another.   What was true in the past is also true now:  a card or call to a person whose prayer is to be remembered; time or resources to fill backpacks with food for children whose unspoken prayer is for something to eat over the weekend; personal contacts with someone who has rarely gone to church but wonders what it would be like to meet others in a setting of fellowship and acceptance. 

There is another dimension to the psalmist prayer.  He knew that his times were in God’s hands.  He asked for a blessing that God’s face might shine upon him and redeem him yet he also inclined his spirit to God’s safe keeping.  The psalmist opened his heart to God and so can we.

Gracious God, nudge us and use us in answering the prayers of others and when as the psalmist, we incline our spirits and needs to Thy loving care, Lord in Thy mercy, Hear our prayer.  Amen.

 (This devotion is dedicated to the loving memory of Virginia Bourne Darlington.)

Sue D. Woods

Devotional 5-5-17

Pleasing our God

Read Genesis 1:1-2:4, Psalm 8, 2 Corinthians 13:11-13, Matthew 28:16-20

Our God is a loving, a caring God that is easily pleased.  Pleased when the earth was created with all that is on the earth and above; the stars, the moon, the heavens and sun.

He created man and woman and was pleased.  We are all children of this great and awesome God.  He is pleased when we treat one another with acceptance, love and care.  His son, Jesus Christ is our example of how we are to treat each other. God is happy when we help the least of our brothers and sisters. The poor, the prostitute, the addicted, and equally our neighbors, the rich and on and on, with love and respect for all. Let us be the hands and feet for Jesus.  Let’s make our life one that is pleasing to God.

Fred Herr

Devotional 4-28-17

Read Luke 24: 13-35

Many Christians are faithful in attending worship, volunteering to serve in many aspects of their church; such as singing in the choir, teaching Sunday School, serving on different Committees and helping out wherever called. This was my Christian life--just going through the motion. I knew that Jesus loves me-------but I had not felt his Love!

My life changed when I attended my walk to Emmaus. Fred had attended a walk first, I had not planed on attending until later. But when he came home after his walk, I saw such a difference in him, a big smile and a changed Christian man, with the love of Jesus in his heart.

I wanted that too! I attended my walk two weeks later and I am glad I did!

I have experienced the Love of Christ that he has for all of us! i know that some are not interested in attending the walk, but if you would like to have a closer relationship with Christ you might consider giving it a try, if someone should approach you. It is something that will change your journey with Christ. You might just like it and come back to your home and church a changed Christian. It is out there for you to experience for your self.

Just like the two men walking to Emmaus discussing what was taking place in their home land, when a stranger joined them and continued on with them.......they didn't know who he was until he was gone.

Their eyes were opened and they saw Jesus more fully!

Pray,
Dear Father please let your children have the desire to know you and experience your love that you have for them. Lead and guide them the way that you desire them to follow.
Thanks you for the love and blessing you spread to all your people.
Hold everyone in your hand and comfort them all no matter where they are in in their journey with you.

All Gods children say,
Amen

Melanie Herr

Devotional 4-21-17

Shadow of Doubt

Lectionary Readings:  Psalm 16; Acts 2: 4a, 22-32; 1 Peter 1: 3-9; & John 20: 19-31
“You never saw him, yet you love him.  You still don’t see him, yet you trust him---with laughter and singing.  Because you kept on believing, you’ll get what you’re looking forward to:  total salvation”. 
1 Peter 1:  8-9  (The Message)

It was a week of highs and lows, pain, disappointment, wonder, and awe.  Was it only last week??  We started Holy week with a triumphal entry into Jerusalem, a celebration with a parade and then the week ended with the amazing miracle of the resurrection.  In between these two mountaintop experiences were some of the lowest of “downer” events: the anger of Jesus in the temple that had become a marketplace, the Upper Room Last Supper, the trial, mocking and scourging and then the ultimate crucifixion and death of Jesus.  It was a traumatic week filled, to say the least, but filled with miraculous love and redemption.

It is no wonder that after the crucifixion, the disciples experienced much anxiety and fear.  And after Easter, when he appeared to them on several occasions, they thought they were dealing with an imposter or a spirit of some kind.  I don’t think I would be any different.  Doubt is easy for me.  I can second guess myself and the circumstances of my life without any trouble at all.  Is that what God is really saying to me?  What is God sending me to do? Who am I supposed to care for??

And here we are, more than 2000 years past the actual events and we are still dealing with our doubts about these riveting events.  How do we cope with the unreality of the Holy Week events??  What do we do with those shadows of doubt?? What do we do with our lives to show that we do believe??  We can’t touch Jesus’ nail wounds to give us physical proof.  We don’t have a time machine so that we can go back and observe and “take notes” to fill in the gaps of time and knowledge.  We have to take it on faith that Peter and the gospel writers were relating the events as they happened.

There are not many “sure things” in this world.  But as the writer of 1Peter affirms:  “What a God we have!  And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus!  Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now!”  Peter was convinced of the truth of the situation beyond a “shadow of a doubt”.  He had no room for error, speculation or vacillation.  He was absolutely convinced that Jesus was the Messiah and through His amazing and wondrous love, had willingly sacrificed himself for our sins.

We are not promised a life free of aggravation, suffering or heartache.  Peter tells us that even pure gold must be refined in the fire.  Our faith in the resurrection means that our suffering in this life will be the proof of the fire that refines us for the wholeness and healing of the next life.  When we surrender our doubts to the God of Grace, His grace is sufficient for our every need, including our eternal life.

Dear God of Power and Grace, we thank you for your many gifts.  Most of all we are grateful for the gift of your son, Jesus.  We cannot easily believe that you love us so much that you would allow the death of your son for our sins, but we pray that you will help us with our unbelief.  Be with us as we struggle with this precious gift.  We thank you for the grace of your love for us and that we can be sure, beyond a doubt, that your love is dependable and faithful. We are thankful that we are yours and do not need to fear, because our eternal life has been arranged.  AMEN!!

Chyrl Budd

“I serve a Risen Savior, He’s in the world today! … You ask me how I know he lives? He lives within my heart!!!”

Devotional 4-14-17

Please read Acts 10:24-43

Have you ever read something many times only to be suddenly hit by a passage that you had never really noticed before? That’s what happened to me when I read Acts 10:24-43. I was hit by not one, but two passages. The first was the second half of verse 28: “But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean.” (NIV) The second came in verse 34: “Then Peter began to speak: ‘I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what’s right.’” (NIV) This reading is Peter, at God’s insistence, bringing the Gospel to the Gentiles, bringing God’s love and acceptance to us. At that time Jews were not allowed to associate with us. We were the impure and unclean.

Peter arrived at the home of Cornelius, the centurion (a Gentile) with some of his brothers from Joppa. Cornelius was expecting him and had called together family and close friends. While Peter was telling them about Jesus, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The men who came with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out--even on Gentiles--even on us!

Is there any group of people that you would be astonished to find accepted by God? God does not show favoritism. We should not call anyone impure or unclean. We are each special to God.

The dark day is here, the day that Jesus died a horrible death for our sins. The good news is that Easter morning follows. On Easter we will shout Hallelujah! Christ the Lord is risen today! He is risen indeed--for everyone! Hallelujah!

Margaret Williams