Devotional 8-14-20

Scriptures: Gen 45:1–15; Ps 133; Rom 11:1–2a, 29–32; Mt 15: (10–20) 21–2  I chose to focus on the Genesis story for this devotion, but I encourage you to read all of the scriptures. 

The Hebrew Bible reading for this week is the story of Joseph's emotional reunion in Egypt with the brothers who sold him into slavery years earlier.  Although this had been a traumatic experience for Joseph, over time he had risen high in the Pharaoh's favor, and was now a wealthy and respected man. Meanwhile, a famine had come to his homeland, and the brothers had journeyed to Egypt in the hope of finding food. Now, in this week's scripture, they stand before him.  When Joseph reveals his true identity to the brothers, they are understandably afraid. But Joseph, from the perspective of his ability to save his family in the present, claims that their mean-spirited actions in the past were in fact a God thing. What he is professing is faith's ability to find meaning and purpose even in painful events. 

I understand this perspective, and have comforted myself at times that my childhood surgeries and therapies were terrible, but enduring them made me a more compassionate person.  I hear similar stories from other Christians, who have faced great tragedy and eventually been transformed in ways they could not have anticipated. People of faith are often given confidence and peace during challenging times, but others may endure a "dark night of the soul" and only gain perspective later. Like Joseph, we might begin to see our disappointments, pains, and struggles as "God things" too. God works for good in all things, and we can praise God for that, while at the same time recognizing that our choices and those of others make a difference. Joseph's positive experience with his brothers was partly because he chose compassion and forgiveness over anger and revenge; it was God at work in him, and Joseph saying a holy "yes" to that. 

We have the opportunity during these challenging days to also say "yes" to God's leadings.  We can choose to love and protect others by following the best medical advice during this pandemic,  we can share our resources with those in need, we can learn new skills and technologies so we can connect with people near and far, we can consider this time of distancing a holy pause in the midst of our lives--- in short, faith's perspective can create new possibilities as we work together with each other and with God. Let's not grow weary of doing good, loving others, and trusting that God is at work in our lives. 

Prayer for the Day:  Loving and gracious God, walk with us through times of trouble, and let us find your peace and compassion.  Give us strength for the day, and hope for tomorrow.  Amen

Rev. Terry Deane

Devotional 8-7-20

Breaking News! You Are Not Alone

Matthew 28:20 And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

Philippians 2:4-5 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.
 
Headlines from the Herald Dispatch, Wednesday, August 5, 2020

• WV reports 7 new deaths related to coronavirus
• Local family hit hard by coronavirus after funeral – Over 40 members infected with COVID - 19
• Purchase of desk shields approved

I have a confession to make. I am afraid. I know that scripture says that we should not be afraid because God is with us, but sometimes I have difficulty remembering that. Even though I know through personal experience that God provides help when life gets rough, I also know that bad things happen, and I can’t control the outcome.

In the middle of the night I lie awake and wonder if my cough is from Covid 19 or only my seasonal allergies at work. I worry that my significant other will get sick, and I won’t be able to see him or hold his hand. And I can’t even imagine not being able to visit my family members in the hospital. Then I worry about the illness, eviction, hunger, and fear of people I don’t even know. It’s all so overwhelming! When daylight appears, I feel better, but I always know that the nightmare will return because my mind knows it could happen. It has been real for too many already.

I’ll bet that you can relate to my fear. I’ll bet that many of you are nodding your heads as you read. You wake up each day hoping that the pandemic and divided nature of our country is all a bad dream. But then you watch the news, read the paper, check your Facebook page, and look at the faces of your children, grandchildren, and friends. You see uncertainty, fear, and anger where there was once a life plan, hope, and joy. I need to find the joy again and share it, but how?

The good thing about writing a devotional is that it makes one face fears and search for solutions. Of course, the cure for all of this negativity and fear is found in the story of Jesus’ life. Jesus didn’t have it easy even though He was the Son of God! What He did have was the assurance that God would be beside Him during His exceptional life, excruciating death, and resurrection into His Kingdom! So how is this a good thing for us?

Each day we awake knowing that no matter what happens to us, Jesus will be right beside us. What I need to remember is that when Jesus said he would be with me always, He didn’t mean after my death, but during every second of my mortal life and my eternal life. Just typing that sentence relieves anxiety. In addition, I need to remember to remind my family and friends. We learn through repetition, and this concept is not repeated enough in our secular world. Finally, I need to help others though their rough times. Maybe I could take a meal to a neighbor – or maybe not. Surely there are things I could do for someone that wouldn’t end in food poisoning! And I believe you could do the same.

I’m feeling better already. Thank you for allowing me to search for a solution to my fear. Now would you join me in a prayer?

Dear Jesus, you made a promise two thousand years ago that I’m asking you to honor today. Please help us to combat the paralyzing fear that envelopes us each day, and help our scientists find a cure or vaccine that will combat the virus that has changed our way of life. Finally let us remember that we truly are in this together and should act accordingly. You taught us how to live. If we do it right, we will live with love, not fear.

Amen
Becky Warren

Devotional 8-1-20

Good Trouble

I liked the sound of that from the moment I heard it…do the wrong thing for the right reason…or so I thought (I have a feeling that many things spoken by John Lewis will become ‘household phrases’.). We tell our children from their earliest understanding of language to “stay out of trouble.” And we try to do the same. In my mind I can make a case for that to mean stay AWAY from trouble – as in GO THE OTHER WAY! I would be remiss to mention John Lewis and not acknowledge Martin Luther King, Jr.’s influence on his life: ”…true peace is not the absence of conflict…but the presence of justice.”  Perhaps going the other way is the wrong thing for the wrong reason.

The stories of the life of Jesus are full of good trouble. He never went the other way. The right thing was the only way. He counseled, he healed, he fed > often in the face of ridicule and danger. Do we ever dare go against the norm for the sake of the hurting? “Why are you helping hiiiim?” (if you curl your lip like Elvis and say it with a sneer – you can actually make him into two syllables – works with her too). Do we feed the hungry – with food or with money or do we assess (eyes turned down, shaking my head at myself… JUDGE) that they don’t deserve it?

One of this week’s lectionary readings is Matthew 14: 13-21 – the feeding of the 5000. It begins at verse 13 > “Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat…” If you will hit rewind and go back as far as verse 8 or 9, you will discover that THIS is the death of John the Baptist. I think that we could classify that as traumatic news. If I had received such information and then had my ‘alone time’ crushed by 5000 people…well, I probably would not be concerned about their hunger pangs. But Jesus was! And not only did he speak to them for a long time, he stepped out of the frying pan and into the fire by offering to feed them. Do you suppose there was not a single person in the crowd allergic to seafood or maybe gluten intolerant? It’s hard to select the exact K-Cup for the coffee maker in an office of five – can you imagine trying to please 5000?

Mother Teresa once said, “Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time and always start with the person nearest you.” The one may be one and the one may be the first in a line of 5000.

There is injustice and need all around us. While I am knee deep in quotes, lets go back 200 years before Lewis or King or Mother Teresa to Burke: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men (people) to do nothing”  

The one may need a sandwich. The one may need a ride. The one may need an advocate against a bully. The one may need a hug. The one may need a prayer. We must be willing to NOT go the other way, to do the right thing for the right reason…we may be the only Jesus they see this day.

Let’s go out and get into some (good) trouble.

Steve Matthews

Devotional 7-25-20

Romans 8: 26-39
 
²⁶ In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. ²⁷ And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will. ²⁸ And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. ²⁹ For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. ³⁰ And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

³¹ What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all-how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? ³³ Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died- more than that, who was raised to life- is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ³⁶ As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long: we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered” ³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
 
I was pleasantly surprised to see the above scripture was one of the readings assigned for my devotional writing. It was the one my late wife -Janice- quoted often. As I write this it is early June & we are in a state of chaos. Worldwide pandemic, economy cratering, unemployment rampant, marches & riots over the death of George Floyd, shelter in place, masks & social distancing recommendations for all of us. It sure seems like a sorry world! Where is God in all of this? I hope you will take the time to read & contemplate this scripture. Even today, Paul reminds us of the one eternal truth. There is NOTHING that can separate us from God & his son Jesus Christ. Life brings all of us trials & tribulations and at times we may stagger or stumble under the load. However, we need to remind ourselves if/when we are in that dark valley... If God be with us who can be against us? May it always be so!
 
Prayer: Father thank you for our blessings & give us strength to conquer all the troubles life can present as we await that house not made with hands but eternal to the Heavens.
 
Marv Jones

Devotional 7-17-20

O Lord, you have searched me and known me.
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
You discern my thoughts from far away.
You search out my path and my lying down,
and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
O Lord, you know it completely.
You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me………..
I come to the end – I am still with you.
                          Psalm 139:1-5, 18
 
 
It is so natural for us as human beings and children of God, to reach out and touch our family, friends and loved ones constantly.  We use our phones to call each other up; we meet each other for a meal or a special time together; we run into each other at various activities, so there are hugs and kisses and warm greetings. We are a touchy, feely loving group of people.  It’s what we do.  It’s how we get to know new people as well, so we can share God and God’s love.
 
That is – until this Coved 19 virus came to live among us.  Now, since we are trying to not encourage the spread of this virus, we don’t touch, or hug, or get too close to each other.  We must distance ourselves, and watch what we do at all times, so we can be safe and we can keep everyone around us safe.
 
Because of these safety issues, I have learned new ways of communicating with others, at a safe distance from them.  Zoom calls have become an amazing way to talk and see others, without actually being in the same location.  For me, these calls have ranged in size from a training session with just one other person, learning new techniques for reaching out to others - to a meeting with 250 other people and voting on the future of their work situations.  I have also learned how to make presentations, take tests, read to others and work out math problems as I helped my grandsons in virtual school during this spring.  It has been truly unbelievable to me, to learn all of these new tools for communicating at the age of 70.
 
But I am soooo grateful that nothing has changed with our communication arrangement with God.  As the words in Psalm 139 explain, God knows us completely - no matter where we are, no matter what we are doing - from the beginning of our life to the end.  God knows us inside and out, and God is always present with us.  What reassuring, joy- filled knowledge for us to carry in our hearts and minds, and to know as we live out each day of out lives. God is always with us!!!
 
Thanks be to God.  Amen!  
Rev. Suzanne Ellis

Devotional 7-10-20

Genesis 25:19-34, Psalm 25 or Psalm 119:105-112, Romans 8:1-11, Matthew 13:1

I was blessed to be born into a Christian family.  My parents were members of a Methodist Church along with their parents. In other words, I grew up in a Methodist Church with my parents, sisters, and both sets of grandparents. So, from the day I came into this world under the guidance of Gil and Bruce Ratcliff's father, Dr. Gilbert Ratcliff, Sr., I have also been under the guidance of my Lord and Savior.

In Psalm 25:4-5 (NIV), David is asking for guidance. "Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long." 

With all that is going on in the world today, I have daily asked God for guidance, as every day is a new and abnormal day. I need His guidance. I want His guidance. The Bible tells us God is always with us; there beside us wherever we are. I believe that. I feel His presence. So, it seems I am always talking to God. In fact, He is guiding this devotion. Yes, I tell God what I think and feel but in the end I have to say, "God I have to let go and let you take care of this." Then I feel peace. 

I pray you are well and seeking God's guidance.  Amen

Kay Lewis

Devotional 7-3-10

Inspired by Psalm 23

The Lord, my Lord
is a shepherd. My shepherd.
I need shepherding.
I need guidance and direction.
If I will listen, I will find all I need.
If I follow.

The Lord, my Lord
offers peace. Silence. Stillness.
When I need it,
whether I want it or not,
in him I will find it.
And my spirit will be restored.
My soul will find living water.
When I walk on the path
where he leads me.

The Lord, my Lord
When night closes in,
when darkness is all I can see,
I am not alone.
The shepherd finds me.
I do not have to be afraid.
The guidance and the protection
of the Lord 
bring comfort.
Bring light, if I will open my eyes.
I need not be afraid.

The Lord, my Lord
is a God of abundance.
Is a God of mercy.
Is a God of steadfast loyalty and love.
Even when I can find no love,
No friendship,
No support,
God provides.
I am healed; I am made whole.
I am not alone.

The Lord, my Lord
is a God of mercy and grace,
Limitless goodness.
I am pursued.
I am surrounded.
I am never lost.
With my God, I am. 
Forever.
 
Kim Matthews