Devotional 3-1-10

It seems to me that a lot of the lectionary readings for this week have to do with being thirsty. But it just isn’t quenching your thirst -- it’s finding the right thing to quench your thirst.

We are presented and inundated with countless advertisements and endorsements for anything liquid. It is would boggle the mind to think of the money that are spent by soft drink industry to satisfy those ravenous cravings for something to satisfy those parched throats.

I am pretty sure that if you talk with most athletic and physical trainers they still say the best drink for the most serious thirst is still water. It is what God created and they may want to sell it for $1.05 for a 16 ounce bottle but it still the best thing for us.

The scriptures from Isaiah, Psalms, and Luke all speak of cautioning of what you use to quench your spiritual thirsts. During this Lenten season perhaps we should examine the labels of popular notions and return to some basics in our own spiritual lives. Daily prayer, scripture readings, meditation or service could satisfy that parched spiritual discomfort.

Mike Bowen

Devotional 2-28-10

Almost
It’s been just a little over two years since our dear friend Jim Ray passed away. We see signs of Jim’s presence all over town and especially within the walls of Johnson Memorial. I dare say not a Sunday goes by that we don’t say to ourselves, or perhaps out loud to someone else, “I remember when Jim did this” or, “I remember when Jim was a part of this.” Jim made a lasting impression – whether he knew it or not.

I had the privilege of being part of the Ashland Area Emmaus Community with Jim. A word that comes up a lot during Emmaus events is agapé. We recognize that as one of the Greek words for love. Jim would occasionally slip up and say the word as ‘Agrippa’ when he meant agapé. We (the other JM members of the AAEC) would giggle and keep on going. He may have never realized what he had said or recognized Agrippa as being King, the last of the Herods. Hardly interchangeable with love. Frederick Buechner in his book, Beyond Words, tells a brief story of Paul’s self defense argument while on trial in front of Agrippa. Paul, never at a loss for words, puts forth a strong case. When finished, Acts 26:28 records Agrippa’s comment; “Almost thou persuadest me to become a Christian.” (KJV) Almost!!

Jim was active all around the city of Huntington. He worked with the food and clothing pantry, helped at the Mission, took meals to friends and church members that could not get out and would carry after church luncheon leftovers to the staff and drivers at the TTA. He had gum for the kids and a smile for everyone. I wonder how many people he won to Christ through his words and actions and how many he felt “almost” came to Christ. Acts doesn’t give us Paul Harvey’s the Rest of the Story, so we don’t know for sure that Agrippa did not turn towards Jesus at some point. I had the honor to attend Jim’s funeral. I heard people that I did not know – and did not know Jim knew – speak from the heart about how Jim had touched their lives. No doubt the Almost column was not as long as Jim thought and the Persuadest column greater than he could have imagined.

As we go about our days we will have our ‘almost’ moments. God will take our almosts and make grace. Let’s remember Jim, tell his story, do his work and have faith.

Steve Matthews

Devotional 2-27-10

Matthew 18:21-22

Matthew asks Jesus a very important question and one that comes to mind for most of us from time to time. The question of course is how many times do we need to forgive? I recall some years ago being asked by a member of the church I was serving: Pastor, what is the unpardonable sin? I replied to her. You are probably seeing suicide and/or blasphemy against the Holy Spirit as the unpardonable sins for that seems to be spelled out in the Bible but my response to you is this. I believe the unpardonable sin is the one for which we will not ask forgiveness. The lady went on into the sanctuary to sit down and never mentioned the subject with me again.

I also recall a wonderful book I read some time ago titled: "The Gospel According to Judas." I don't recall who wrote the book at the moment. I do recall though alot of what the author talked about in the book. He reminded us that all of the disciples betrayed Jesus. Not one of them could claim their innocence anymore than we can. The difference the author says is that the others asked for forgiveness and received it. The book also points out the human tendency we all have to paint ourselves in a better picture than we picture others.

Consider how many times as the disciples are named in the Gospels that when it comes to naming Judas Iscariot it states after his name "the one who would betray him." That one phrase leads to the subtitle of this book: "Come home, all is forgiven."

Prayer: Thank you God for your abounding love and forgiveness revealed and made whole in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. Amen.

Rev. Thomas Malcolm

Devotional 2-26-10

Philipians 3:20: But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.


Christian theologian and writer Justo Gonzalez gives an enlightening illustration about living according to one's expectations. Justo is always telling people that one day he hopes to retire to a quiet cabin in the woods where he will do nothing but fish all day.

People are doubtful that Justo will ever do this. He spends all of his free time outfitting hot rods - and loves the ones that have no muffler! He spends all of his time in the city and isn't much on reading wilderness magazines. He owns no fishing pole or tackle. Nothing that anyone sees in Justo's life suggests that he either expects what he claims to expect or that he would either enjoy or be any good at living the life he claims to expect and hope for. Others that know Justo, who also spend all their time in the city, find no clue in Justo's life to help them understand or imagine what the life he expects could possibly be like.

As we travel through our Lenten journeys, let us ask ourselves…are we living a life that prepares us for the life we expect to live when Christ returns? Do we have to declare our citizenship with bumper stickers and logos or is it obvious by the customs and accent of our ways and speech? Would anyone we meet during the day get a glimpse of the kingdom of Heaven from their encounter with us?

Let us consider whether the lives we are living now are preparing us for the life to come.

Let us consider the message of our living, whether it says to others what it might.

And let us repent, change direction, where we ought.

And let us carry on in the gladness of the grace of God. For, ultimately, we can live with expectation of what the future holds and also live with joy for what may presently be.

For if one lives as if expecting the Savior, the more real and more manifest that Savior becomes in the present, both with us and through us. Let us then live life as though the Kingdom of Heaven is indeed at hand, and we will then find that it is indeed among us.

Joe Hill

Devotional 2-25-10

I was listening to NPR the other morning as we drove to work. One of the announcers was talking about a cone shaped nebula in an obscure constellation near Orion. The nebula is 2,500 light years away. The light astronomers see coming from the nebula today left its source 500 years before Christ was born. The huge size of the universe is unimaginable. Psalm 8 echoes through our minds as we try to grasp the grace and love of God: “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?” How is it possible that God loves me? As of February 24, 2010, the estimated world population is 6,804,600,000. How is it possible that God even knows I exist?

In one of the lectionary readings for this week, (Luke 13:34), Jesus laments, “How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!”

Rev’d Monty Brown, pastor of St. Marks United Methodist Church is known for his odd sermon titles. This week’s title is El Loco Pollo – the crazy chicken. I wondered what he meant until I read this week’s passage from Luke, and then found this quote from Barbara Brown Taylor on the web:

"If you have ever loved someone you could not protect, then you understand the depth of Jesus' lament….This is the most vulnerable posture in the world --wings spread, breast exposed --but if you mean what you say, then this is how you stand. … Jesus won't be king of the jungle in this or any other story. What he will be is a mother hen, who stands between the chicks and those who mean to do them harm. She has no fangs, no claws, no rippling muscles. All she has is her willingness to shield her babies with her own body. If the fox wants them, he will have to kill her first; which he does, as it turns out. He slides up on her one night in the yard while all the babies are asleep. When her cry wakens them, they scatter.

She dies the next day where both foxes and chickens can see her -- wings spread, breast exposed -- without a single chick beneath her feathers. It breaks her heart . . . but if you mean what you say, then this is how you stand."

God loves you. He loves me. He loves each of us with an infinite, unimaginable love. He loves us, so this is how he stands, protecting us by becoming vulnerable, arms outspread as he died.

Our God is the God of amazing grace. Our God is the God who cares for the lilies of the field, who searches for a single lost sheep even when 99 sheep have been found. Our God not only knows our names and can count the number of hairs on our heads, but he created each of us in his own image. We should never doubt the infinite nature of his love. He means what he says, and he demonstrates it to us by how he stands.

Consider today what it means to your life that you are a beloved child of God.

Kim Matthews

Devotional 2-24-10

Keeping up with the Dittenhafers
My grandmother, whose maiden name was Dittenhafer, is always frugal and practical. I know that she has used her reel (motor-less) lawn mower in the last decade, which is proof that she still tries to save money. If you ask her about her childhood, I doubt there would ever be a tale of splurging on a pair of unneccessary shoes or gourmet coffee. Though I don’t think any of the Dittenhafers ever really spent much on anything frivolous, my grandmother is happy with what she has. Grandma worked hard to take care of her family, and she has wisely managed her finances. I imagine you’ve heard that “Happiness isn’t having what you want; it’s wanting what you have.” How true it is!

During my childhood, possibly like yours, I heard plenty of tales echoing the old “walking seven miles up the hill through snow to get to school” tune. Though my brother and I were quick to roll our eyes at the time, something that really can’t be pushed aside is that our parents and grandparents worked and sacrificed to give us a good life… and we do have more than we really need. Still, I often think, “We could really use the money for” this or that. Why have we as a society developed a constant feeling of want? In this day of instant gratification, we are reluctant to engage in anything that requires diligence or the ‘s’-word: sacrifice. Maybe that is why we are ungrateful for the things we already have.

We all know that true wealth lies in love and not in possessions, but it is a concept difficult to realize. During Lent, the season of sacrifice, I pray that we all gain that sense of happiness without material things. Rather than keeping up with the Joneses (or the cable-famed Kardashians), shouldn’t we all try to “keep up” with people like the Dittenhafers? We should be mindful of those who choose to live with simplicity and are often more fulfilled for it. What more perfect time of year is there for us to grow closer to God through simple living? I think that, instead of the first day of January, Ash Wednesday should be the day on which we make resolutions. Yes, we could simply give up candy or something we’ll just allow ourselves to have again on Easter. However, maybe it would be more meaningful to do something that would truly better oneself for the long term. To really be ‘resolute’ (thus the word ‘resolution’) in that sacrifice could create in us a better appreciation for the greatest sacrifice of all.

Natalie Wray

Devotional 2-23-10

A Legacy of Faithfulness

Please read Genesis 15:1-12; 17-18

“…the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, ‘To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates....’”

In these days of instant gratification and materialism, it is difficult to imagine one acting in faith as Abram did. Abram gave up the comfort of his familiar surroundings and set out to a strange land in response to God’s call, not so that he could gain personally, but so that his descendents could have the land that God promised. As the writer of Hebrews said, Abram (Abraham) “died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them.” Hebrews 11:13.

I see examples of that kind of faithfulness in my work at the United Methodist Foundation. I often help individuals who have a desire to act in faith to make a planned gift, that is, a gift from their accumulated resources. It is like they are planting trees the fruit from which they will never personally enjoy. They act generously and in faith, with a vision that goes beyond their own lifetimes. Often, the motivation for a planned gift is to not only provide future financial resources, but also to set an example of faith.

For instance, I met a gentleman during the terrible economic climate of the last half of 2008, who decided it was the right time to create an endowment fund (anonymously) for his church in rural West Virginia. His inspiration was that he wanted to be a witness of faithfulness and generosity in tough times for future generations.

By contrast, we are all paying a price for the actions of some individuals and corporations who act not out of generosity and faith, but out greed without regard for anyone else.

We are examples of for future generations. Will you leave a legacy of faithfulness?

Jeff Taylor

Devotional 2-22-10

Devotional -- Written on a Snow Day

"For he directs the snow, the showers, and storm to fall upon the earth. Man's work stops at such a time, so that all men everywhere may recognize his power." --Job 37:6

It's February, it's Lent, but a Christmas hymn is running through my brain: In the Bleak Midwinter. You recall the words from the first verse:

Snow had fallen, snow on snow,
Snow on snow............

It's only midwinter, but I'm sure sick of it. I decided to check out the word "snow" in my Bible thesaurus and found the scripture quoted above as well as this one from Psalm 147: 16-18:

"He sends the snow in all its lovely whiteness, and scatters the frost upon the ground, and hurls the hail upon the earth. Who can stand before his freezing cold? But then he calls for warmer weather, and the spring winds blow and all the river ice is broken."

I also looked up some information on the British poet Christina Rossetti (1830-1894) who wrote In the Bleak Midwinter. Here's another inspirational poem of hers:

Lord, Purge Our Eyes to See
Lord, purge our eyes to see
Within the seed
a tree,
Within the glowing egg,
a bird,
Within the shroud,
a butterfly.
Till, taught by such we see,
Beyond all creatures,
Thee.

The snow won't last forever. While inconvenient, it has a certain lovely quality. Spring will come. We know it will.

This prayer was written by Christina Rossetti:O Lord Jesus Christ, who is like the shadow of a great rock in a weary land, you see your weak creatures weary of labor, weary of pleasure, weary of hope deferred, weary of self. In your abundant compassion and fellow feeling with us, and with your unspeakable tenderness, bring us, we pray, to your rest. Amen.

Anita Gardner Farrell

Devotional 2-21-10

TO FOLLOW CHRIST

Here, O Christ, our sins we see, Learn Thy love while gazing thus;
Sin, which laid the cross on Thee, Love, which bore the cross for us.
Here we learn to serve and give, And rejoicing, self deny;
Here we gather love to live, Here we gather faith to die.” --Elizabeth Charles

　

When I read these words from an old Methodist hymnal recently, I felt that it expressed what I am thinking about during these days of Lent: to look at Christ and his purity and his sacrifice, to see my sins, my lack of love, to learn of Him and to seek and follow Him more closely as long as I live.

Lent is a time to reexamine our lives, to seek to follow in Christ’s steps. However, we need others to encourage us and to hold us in love. May all of us who read these Lenten devotions, open our hearts, seek God’s presence, think about Jesus, and share his love in all the ways we can.

Please think on these verses:

“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us; but is we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:8-9

“Jesus said, “Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me.” Mark 8:34

Martha Casey

Devotional 2-20-10

A Lenten Prayer　
　
Our Father, we come before you tonight thinking of Jesus on the Cross. We are reminded of the utter cruelties and tragedies of life that are cause by sin.

Help us to recognize that we, too, have attitudes like those of the characters in the drama of Calvary.

Forgive us:

For envying people who are more popular than we are;
For allowing ourselves to be manipulated by cruel and selfish leaders;
For trying to wash our hands of responsibility for our actions;
For betraying our friends and turning our backs on the people who love us;
For taking advantage of the misfortunes of the innocent victims of injustice;
For being blind and insensitive to your will for our lives;

Look down upon us, Lord; and, out of your mercy, bring us to the day when we shall love you with all our hearts, minds, and souls.

We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen

Rev. Joseph Casey

Devotional 2-19-10

Thoughts on our creator

As a believer who has a background in the biological sciences, I am dismayed and mystified by some, so called, scientists who declare that God is disproved by science – they believe that, if man evolved from lower animals, if creation came about with a big bang, if we have quantum physics, etc, etc, then we don’t need God!

Conversely, believers who insist that the ancient teachings in the Bible are to be taken literally, reject many scientific discoveries as sacrilegious or blasphemous.

Personally, I have wondered about these apparent conflicts since junior high school. As an adult, I have finally melded my religion and my scientific education into a faith that takes both into account. It goes something like this:

Science cannot prove or disprove the existence of God. Religion can tell us about God, but cannot actually prove God’s existence. In the final analysis, our knowledge that God is must come from within ourselves – by our own experience and feelings.

For me, God is a given, a constant. Therefore, whatever a scientist undertakes is simply another examination or exploration into God’s creation. God created the earth, the universe, the atom and the proton. Whatever exists was created by God. So, if we are delving into DNA and the human genome or studying the planets, stars or black holes, it matters not – all things are God’s works. Should we perceive patterns in the fossils of ancient creatures or in the actions of heavenly bodies then there may be clues into God’s elegant system of creation.

On the other hand, should the findings of modern science be perceived as clashing with some of our treasured writings of old, then try asking yourself something along this line: If God had spoken to His people about evolution, quarks, bacteria, black holes or DNA, could those people of 2000 BC have absorbed any of that knowledge? Were they ready?

Or, conversely, was it better for God to let His people develop on their own? Let then go, like a child on his first bike ride, to achieve by their own efforts, to learn from their mistakes with, maybe a little guidance along the way?

After all, we as a people, as a population, as a species, do appear to be progressing. True, our progress is uneven, stumbling, bumbling going from crisis to crisis. But, if we stand back and look at ourselves, can’t we say that after each crisis, God’s people rise a little higher? I believe we can.

Charlie Lewis

Devotional 2-18-10

Jesus Loves Me

Karl Barth was a famous philosopher who spent many years studying the Scriptures. He was once asked, "What is the greatest theological discovery you ever made? "He thought and said simply, " Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so."

Can you remember where you were the first time you heard those words? I can't, because, quite honestly, I don't remember not knowing it. The words are sung by children literally all over the world, and frankly, I do not know a message more needed by every child, and adult, than those simple words with a life changing message, Jesus Loves Me This I Know For The Bible Tells Me So.

Jesus Himself said " This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:12-13)

Can you imagine that? Jesus loves me!

"What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" (Matthew 16:26)

Anne Dobbins

Devotional 2-17-10

A Poem by Robert Herrick

To keep a True Lent

Is this Fast, to keep
And Larder lean?
And clean
From fat of Veal and Sheep?

Is it to quit dish
Of Flesh, yet still
To Fill
The platter high with Fish?

Is it to fast an hour
Or rag'd to go,
Or show
A downcast look and sour?

No, tis a Fast, to dole
Thy sheaf of wheat
And meat
Unto the hungry soul.

It is to fast from strife,
From old debate
And hate;
To circumcise thy life.

To show a heart grief-rent;
To strave thy sin;
Not Bin;
And that's to keep thy Lent Holy.

Submitted by Rev. Jeremiah Jasper