Judgment and Grace

This was published as a Lenten Devotional from the West Virginia Annual Conference (written by me).

Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment. (John 7:24)

 

Don’t read the comments.  I give myself this advice all the time. Don’t read the comments on Facebook posts, on online newspaper articles, anywhere – just don’t read the comments. The comments are littered with people making judgements and assumptions. The comments can be mean; they are filled with anger and hatred. Don’t read the comments.

 

A friend of mine was in the middle of a horrible experience. Her elderly mother had been driving and had made a wrong turn. She ended up three states away, lost. While they were looking for her, an article was published in the local newspaper. I made the mistake of reading the comments. People were judging the situation with such cruelty.  It was a situation about which they knew nothing, and yet they felt they were the experts in this story. And that is only one illustration I could have shared with you – one of many.

 

John 7:14-31 tells the story of Jesus preaching in the temple. There are those who are seeking to kill him, motivated by his healing of a man on the Sabbath (among other things). Jesus says, “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”

 

What is “right judgment?” Do you remember the song “Father’s Eyes”?  It was written by Gary Chapman and released in 1979 by Amy Grant.  Maybe I’m the only one old enough to remember it!  According to the song, God’s eyes find the good in things, find the source of help, are full of compassion, and can discover what challenges people. I think that defines “right judgment” – judging not with our own understanding, but with God’s.  We sometimes call that grace.

 

We would do well to let grace lead.  In all the situations we encounter in life – on the internet, in what we read, in our day-to-day conversations – we should let grace lead. We are not equipped by God to judge; instead, we are called to love. We are to live a life full of light and grace, so that the world will be changed. 

 

Share love, not judgment. Don’t read the comments, but more importantly, don’t write the comments. Work to see (and respond) to those around you through the grace-filled view of God’s eyes.

 

Prayer: Loving God, help me to be an instrument of your grace. Amen

 

Devotional: Foundation Board meeting

The following is a devotional I shared with our Foundation Board of Trustees at a recent Board meeting.  

I’m going to tell you a story this morning that might embarrass my younger son, if he were here. It is probably embarrassing for my husband and me, too, but we’re going to ignore all of that. 

Years ago, when Josh was young – in elementary school – we noticed that his bedroom smelled terrible.  Awful. Overpoweringly bad. So bad that we started tearing the room apart to find what was causing the smell. Had an animal died in the wall (I’ve never had that happen or even know if it could be a problem, but it’s what I thought of)?  What had happened that would create such an overwhelming, pervasive stink?

We finally found it. Josh had fixed himself a hotdog one day, taken it to his bedroom, and then decided he didn’t want it, so he threw it away in the small trash can by his desk – the one that should be just for paper. “Josh,” we asked. “Why did you throw a hotdog away in your room?”  His answer – “I didn’t want it, and it is a trash can.”

I still remember how terrible the smell was and how it permeated everything in his room.

I think, sometimes, people can be that way – not that we smell bad, but that our actions as human beings can be so bad that the “odor” of them makes our neighbors wish we were somewhere else, impacting someone else.

But Christ shows us a different way. These words are from 2 Corinthians 2:14-16a

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession and through us spreads in every place the fragrance that comes from knowing him. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing: to the one group a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. (2:14-16a)

Josh’s room definitely smelled like death.  Do our actions as people and as the Foundation bring the scent of life to our neighbors? What would that be like?

Hear these words from Ephesians 5:1-2:  Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

We can see how our pleasing fragrance permeates the ministries we support through Jeff’s story of impact each quarter in the Trustees Booklet.  I am the keeper of the yellow Gratitude file that Jeff uses to manage and report on those stories.  I pulled this story out of the yellow file yesterday:

A seminary student, who was about to take out a loan, received the news (and the almost $10,000 check) that she had been chosen as this year’s Redding Scholar by The Foundation.  She wrote to Bonnie McDonald and Jeff, “The check from the UMF came in the mail today! I am absolutely floored. It’s just starting to sink in that this is real, and I am so excited and so grateful! Thank you both for all of your kindness, guidance, help and support on all of this. I am eternally grateful for you both.” 

This candidate for ordained ministry has felt and seen the love of the Foundation and of James Redding, who established an endowment in the early 90’s to provide seminary scholarships. She has experienced a “fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” This will permeate her ministry at least for years to come, and maybe for her entire career. All of those she works with in ministry will know Christ’s love through her.

May the Foundation’s fragrant offering to the world permeate our neighborhoods with the scent of life.

Please pray with me.  Creating, loving, sustaining God, empower us, equip us, and motivate us to be a fragrant offering in your world so that all those who come to know The Foundation will know Christ’s love and life.  In your son’s name, Amen.

In Darkness

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness-on them light has shined. You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder.  For the yoke of their burden and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. (Isaiah  9:2-4)

Several years ago, when our boys were still young, we took a day trip to Carter Caves. Josh was still young enough that he rode in a carrier on Steve’s back. While we were there, we went on a tour of one of the caves. The tour guide admonished us to be very careful – don’t touch the walls because the mineral deposits – the stalactites and stalagmites – are very fragile. And be careful; the floor can be slick if it is wet. And, hey, let me show you what darkness is really like when I TURN OFF ALL THE LIGHTS IN THE CAVE.

We live in a world that can sometimes be dark. There are dangerous obstacles around us that can make our journeys hard to navigate. Surrounding us are parts of the world that can be broken or even shattered. And we are holding on with love to the people who are around us – those for whom we are responsible. Those who we love more than we love ourselves.  The world can be a dark and scary place.  It’s no wonder we need God.

For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders, and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Great will be his authority, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this. (Isaiah 9:6-7)

Please don’t forget that when the world seems the darkest, when the ground underneath your feet is slick and unsteady, when everything seems fragile and frightening, and even when you worry about those you love, remember that a child has been born into your world. That child, the Prince of Peace, is so great a light that you can see your way. In that great light, you can see the presence of God. 

Don’t forget.

Prayer: Loving God, thank you for the light. Open our eyes to your presence so that we realize we are not in darkness.  Help us to remember. Amen.

Kim Matthews 

Taught to Love

Please read 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12

Now concerning love of the brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anyone write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, and indeed you do love all the brothers and sisters throughout Macedonia. (I Thessalonians 4:9-10)

I often think about being a parent.  My husband and I have two adult sons, and even though they are 31 and 29 years old, we will always be their parents. They are so different from each other, but they are both loving and kind men. We’re proud of them and blessed by them. 

How do children learn how to love? I hope our sons learned love by being loved by us, and by witnessing how the adults in their lives loved each other. I think about children who have experienced Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) such as child abuse, neglect, violence, or an unstable home, and the potential outcome of these experiences, such as negative impacts on brain development, health, and an inability to form lasting relationships. 

I am struck by what Paul wrote to the Church in Thessalonica: “you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another.” Imagine that. Taught to love by God. Paul could have written this about us. We – you and I - have been taught by God to love one another. God created us, God sent Jesus to us to teach us about life and love. God offers us grace and forgiveness – love, made concrete. We know how to love because God loves us. 

Why is this important? God doesn’t just love us so that we will feel loved. God loves us because there are children in the world who don’t know what love is. There are people around us who are hungry – every day, all the time. There are brothers and sisters in our communities who are crying, suffering, mourning, fighting addiction, struggling to live. God loves us so that we will be loving. 

This fall, our Foundation hosted an Academy of Faith and Generosity. The main speaker, Ann Michel, told a story about her church. The Church owned and operated two homeless shelters.  Someone asked Ann if the church members were trying to convert the people who sought shelter to Christianity.  She said, “No, we’re trying to be Christians.”

How will you be a loving Christian today?

Prayer: Loving God, teach us to love so that we will share your love with everyone. Forgive us when we forget – when we offer judgment and scorn, and lead us to replace those with love.  In your son’s name, Amen.

Strong nets

Last week I preached at a small church near Charleston.  I used the revised common lectionary to plan the service. The gospel reading was John 21:1-19. I not going to read the whole passage, but just a few verses.

 

This is the last chapter of John.  Mary Magdalene has already been to the tomb, Jesus has spoken to her, telling her that he will be ascending to God. She has gone to the disciples and to announce that “she has seen the Lord.”

 

On the evening of the same day, the Disciples were locked in a house, afraid of what might happen, when Jesus appeared to them.  A week later, Jesus appeared again to the Disciples, this time including Thomas.

 

THEN we get to this last chapter of John.  As the chapter begins, Peter, John, and five other disciples, who had been sitting on the beach of the Sea of Tiberius, decide to go fishing.  The catch nothing. 

 

Hear these words from John 21:4-6

⁴ Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach, but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. ⁵ Jesus said to them, “Children, you have no fish, have you?” They answered him, “No.” ⁶ He said to them, “Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. 

 

Later, after they either swam to shore (peter) or rowed to shore (the rest of them), Jesus is cooking breakfast for them.  Hear verses 10-11

 

Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” ¹¹ So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them, and though there were so many, the net was not torn. 

 

Does this story sound like any other story you have heard as you read the Bible?  Think about Luke, chapter 5.  In that passage of Luke, Jesus tells Simon to cast his nets in deep water. Simon protests – he has caught nothing all night, and he is a fisherman – he knows how to fish – but he does what Jesus asks.  You know the rest of the story – they caught an abundance of fish, straining the nets and even the ability of the boats to float.  This is the call story for Simon, James, and John. Jesus tells them, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.”  They follow Jesus and becomes fishers of people.

 

There is a lot that is interesting about these passages.  It’s interesting to me that the story reminds us of the call story of Simon, James, and John.  They are actually fishing in the same place.  Maybe that’s what Jesus wanted to do – remind them of their call.  They are sitting on a beach, and then they go back to what they used to do – fish.  Unsuccessfully.  Maybe Jesus is calling them again. 

 

But another point that is interesting to me is the description of the net changes. In Luke, the net is straining – and the boat almost capsizes. In John, after the resurrection, the net is not torn.  The net can hold an abundant number of fish.

 

There is a message in this part of the story for us, the Church.  When we see Jesus, when we are reminded of our call, we are able to BE the church. We don’t need to worry – our nets are strong enough and large enough to hold everyone. 

 

Every Mountain Made Flat

This is a devotional I wrote for our JM Advent Devotional ministry.

Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"  (Luke 3:5-6)

I live at the top of a mountain. Not everyone would call it a mountain; some might scoff at me and say it is a hill.  A short bump in the road. I realize I don’t live on Pike’s Peak or Mt. Everest. I know that my mountain isn’t epic. To me, though, it is a mountain, especially in the winter.

When winter comes, and the snow flies, and I am driving to work, I pause at the top of the “big hill” – the last and biggest downhill slope to reach the flatter roads near our home – and I definitely call it a mountain. I pause at the top to allow the car in front of me to slowly slide – I mean carefully drive – down the mountain. I wait for all the cars coming the other side of the mountain to make their way down so that my way is clear. Then I slowly start driving down our mountain in my all-wheel-drive CR-V. I ever so carefully pump the brakes (I know I’m not supposed to, but I want a slow speed – don’t correct my driving while I’m creeping). I pause where the ice always flows across the road and slowly roll over it. I take the big curve to the outside because I know the road slopes toward the ditch. When I reach the bottom, I celebrate.

I can drive all the way to Charleston in the snow with less worry than when I drive down our mountain.  It is an obstacle for me to reach the rest of the world.

Our passage today shares the words of John the Baptist as he quotes the prophet Isaiah, calling for repentance to make the way clear for the Lord to come. I, for one, can certainly imagine how low valleys, high mountains, and crooked roads can be obstacles. I can see how our sins and self-centeredness could block the way for the Lord to enter our lives, and therefore the entire world.

I wouldn’t mind if my mountain were made low so that my obstacle to the world would be gone. I imagine repentance – our turning away from the metaphorical mountains and crooked habits that separate us from God – could make God’s way into the world possible.

What do we need to do to clear the way for God’s entrance into our lives and into the world? What repentance would make the path straight and the way smooth so that all flesh could see the salvation of God? What are our first best steps to make it so?

 

Open Your Eyes to Joy

 This is a devotional that I wrote for the WV Annual Conference Advent Devotional Ministry this year.

³ I thank my God every time I mention you in my prayers. ⁴ I’m thankful for all of you every time I pray, and it’s always a prayer full of joy. ⁵ I’m glad because of the way you have been my partners in the ministry of the gospel from the time you first believed it until now. ⁶ I’m sure about this: the one who started a good work in you will stay with you to complete the job by the day of Christ Jesus.  Philippians 1:3-6

 

Several years ago, when I was Nurture Chairperson of my church, the responsibility for our church’s Wednesday evening dinners was thrust upon me. The truth is, I was resentful of the work and worry of picking up the dinners, preparing them, serving them, and cleaning up afterwards.  For six weeks I worked full of indignation. Have you ever felt this way?

 

After the six weeks, out of habit, I wrote thank you notes to all of the volunteers who had helped. It was a lot of notes; it was a pile of gratitude. After the cards were mailed, I realized I was no longer resentful – I was only thankful.

 

Paul wrote in Philippians (from prison) that he was “thankful for all of you every time I pray, and it’s always a prayer full of joy.”  I wasn’t at all joyful when I was working on the church dinners – I was only resentful. It wasn’t until I felt thankful that I found joy. I don’t think joy is the same thing as happiness; I believe joy is something we feel when we are close to God. That means it was gratitude – thankfulness – that brought me to awareness of joy and of God in the work I had done.

 

I lead the Conference Certified Lay Ministry Course. We meet once a month via Zoom. No matter how tired I am when we start, when I turn off the Zoom and close my computer, I feel thankful. I am grateful for the people who have heard God’s call to ministry and have joined the class.  Every time. It is a joy. Paul’s joy in the people for whom he was praying led him to write to them, “I’m sure about this: the one who started a good work in you will stay with you to complete the job by the day of Christ Jesus.” I think Paul could see the work of Christ in the people of the Philippian Church because he was thankful for them.

 

Gratitude is the key to seeing the people of God and God at work in them. When you are resentful, when you are tired, when you are discouraged, take a moment to offer your thanksgiving. I think God will open your eyes to the joy.

 

Prayer: Loving God, open our prayers to thanksgiving, our hearts to joy, and our eyes to each other. Amen.

Let's Have a Conversation

 

The following is a devotion I wrote for our church's Advent Devotional ministry.  It's a little different than usual.

Let’s have a conversation.

Please read Luke 2:8-20

As I write this, I wonder where you are as you are reading it.  Are you sitting near your Christmas tree amid the discarded paper from gifts? Or is it quiet at your house, and you sit in your living room, a little bit lonely? Or maybe you are reading this on your phone, late on Christmas Eve (because the devotionals arrive in people’s mailboxes at 10:00 p.m. the night before).  Are you one of those people who read the devotion before looking at the “signature” and you are trying to guess who I am? Did you skip the scripture reading because you decided you’ve read it before and don’t need to read it again? I do that sometimes; don’t tell anyone.  

Whoever you are, wherever you are, whenever it is, let’s have a conversation.  You grab the beverage of your choice, and I’ll get mine, and we’ll talk. Ready?

First, go back and read the scripture.  I’ll wait.  

What did you notice about it?  For me, the verse that spoke the loudest today was verse 20: “The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.”  First, the shepherds left their fields, followed the angel’s instructions, saw the child, and then – then they went and told everybody.  Tis was not the quiet pondering of Mary.  This is glory and praise!

Have you had your heart “strangely warmed?” Was there a moment that felt like the fire of God in your life? Or the quiet presence of the holy? Have you had an experience of the presence of God that was real and important to you?  Why do you believe?  

Sometimes those experiences are gigantic and overwhelming, like seeing the savior in a manger.  Sometimes they are the quiet certainty that God exists and loves you.  They can be dramatic like trumpets or subtle like feathers landing on your heart.  What has your experience been like?

Have you had a conversation with someone about it? Have you gathered your favorite beverage and taken a moment to share the light of God with someone else?  We celebrate the birth of Christ today, and we remember that Christ came into the world.  Christ has come into the world, but also into your life.  Will you glorify and praise God? Will you share the grace of God with a friend?  Will you have a conversation and bring light into this dark world?

Kim Matthews
(Did you guess it was me?)

A Prayer

 A Prayer inspired by Psalm 27

Please spend a moment in prayer.

In you, O God, we place our trust.  Please keep us in your care and in your presence.  At times the world feels like it is full of enemies; there are times when it feels like the world schemes against us.  We trust in you, O God.

Draw us close and open our eyes to your nature.  Show us which way to go.  Lead us in your truth.  Teach us your ways.  In, O God, is our salvation. 

Every day, when we open our eyes and when we fall asleep, remind us of who you are.  Help us to not forget your love and compassion.  May others be reminded of who you are by who we are.

We confess we have not loved you.  We have not followed you. Forgive us and erase our sins.  See us with your eyes of love and cover us with goodness.  In you we place our trust.  

Amen.

Could we dare dream of this?

Could we dare dream of this?

Darkness

Cold, silent loneliness.

We walk in darkness.

Above us, the stars are silent

In their wandering across the sky.

Unmindful of us.

The streets are dark,

With no echo of hope.

Of what do we dream?

What impossible thought walks with us?

We walk in a land of deep darkness

And we can barely believe our eyes

We are startled by the light,

Shining onto us.

Shining into us.

Shining through us.

In a small forgotten village

Among a people never forgotten by their God

Was born a savior.

A baby.

A child of man born to save the children of God.

How can it be?

Could we dare to dream of this?

We sleep, while angels watch

We doubt, while heavenly hosts praise the glory of the birth.

Even the stars sing of this holy appearance of hope.

We dare not hope,

And yet we pray,

That our sin would be removed.

That light would enter into our lives

As the baby was born into a stable.

For a child is born

Unto us, a people in darkness.

His son is given to us.

How can it be?

Could we ever dream of this?

We dare not speak his name,

And yet it whispers in our hearts,

And explodes from our mouths.

Wonderful Counselor

Mighty God

Everlasting Father

Prince of Peace.

Tiny, tiny baby.

Savior of the world.

The light shines.

Born of Mary,

Born of God.

And with him peace is born

Peace beyond our understanding

Peace.

On his shoulders rides

Justice and righteousness

And we are brought into eternal light

By his love.

Could we ever have dreamed it?

Could we ever have imagined such a hope?

Come to us,

Abide with us

Our Lord, Emmanuel

Inspired by Isaiah 9:2, 6-7 and O Little Town of Bethlehem. 

Manna and God, part 2

Continued from yesterday

For the Israelites, God made his presence obvious. Hear verses 16-18

16 This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Collect as much of it as each of you can eat, one omer (o-mer – about 2 quarts) per person. You may collect for the number of people in your household.’” 17 The Israelites did as Moses said, some collecting more, some less. 18 But when they measured it out by the omer, the ones who had collected more had nothing left over, and the ones who had collected less had no shortage. Everyone collected just as much as they could eat.

They were told to only collect what they could eat in that one day.  When they tried to keep the leftovers until the next day, the manna would be spoiled by worms.  On the day before the Sabbath, they were told to collect enough for two days so that they could rest on the seventh day.

My study Bible says that manna is a pun.  When the Israelites say it, they said, "What is it?" -- Man (What) hu (is it)?  Man hu  You can hear the name of the food.

How often do we look at God's providence - God's manna -- and say, "What is it?"  I think there are times we don't even recognize it.  I would propose another level to the pun -- Man says huh?

Manna was to teach the Israelites to rely on God – to trust that God was with them.  To see the world with eyes of abundance instead of scarcity.  Even the command to collect double on the day before the Sabbath and to "rest" on the Sabbath, is another way to teach them to trust God.  God is in the room – open your eyes so that you can see.

I wonder if the disciples looked at the baskets of leftovers after feeding 5000 men, and more women, and more children, from 2 loaves and 5 fish, if they said Huh?  

God is with us.  Manna will come. We can feed more than we even imagined and there will be leftovers.   Let’s not say "Huh?" but instead, remember that God is in the room, and trust and obey.

I know that we come this morning with worries and problems on our minds. Let’s begin the day together in prayer.  I’m going to start a prayer, and then give you an opportunity to silently lift to God what weighs on your heart – the room in your mind that you might not have invited God into yet.  I’ll give you a full minute – I know it will feel like a day, but just pray, and remember that God is here.

Please pray with me…

O God of manna and bread, God of fish and quail, God of Moses, Peter, and us, Open our eyes to see you with us. Remind us that you are in the room, in our lives, in the very midst of our problems.

Hear our prayers today as we lift them to you from our hearts.  (wait one minute)

Loving God, forgive us when we don’t see you, don’t remember you, don’t seek you. Change our thoughts of scarcity into the reality of abundance so that we may serve you more, and become your stewards of the gifts you provide. In your son’s name we pray, Amen.

Manna and God, part 1

The following two posts are a devotion I wrote for our Foundation's Academy of Faith and Generosity  

The Walk to Emmaus is a leadership development program that begins with a three-day retreat experience. For me, that three-day retreat was in the fall of 2006.  After that, I continued to participate in the community – helping with other walks, and eventually becoming part of the leadership team.   During one of the meetings of that team, we spent a lot of time talking about mattresses.  The walks our community sponsors are held in a United Methodist Church, and because the three-day walks involve three nights at the Church, the community owns mattresses. They are stored in the church’s attic, and when a walk is about to happen, we have a mattress party, pull the mattresses out of the attic, and prepare the sleeping rooms for the walk.

We were spending a lot of time during this one particular meeting talking about mattresses, because an un-related ministry had asked our community if they could borrow our mattresses for one of their events.  I can’t tell you how long we debated this question.  I can’t tell you because I’ve blocked it out.  It seemed to go on forever.  Until one of the pastors who was providing spiritual direction for the community said, “Jesus would want you to let them use the mattresses.”

Well, if you want to bring Jesus into the discussion.

It was an uncomfortable truth that we didn’t want to hear. We hadn’t even considered the radical question of being a faithful disciples to Christ in our discussion.  Maybe we were enjoying the power of owning the mattresses too much.  Maybe we were too lazy to think about pulling all of those mattresses out of the attic in service to someone else.  Maybe we just didn’t get it at all.

Have you ever been to a church meeting like that? Where you go on and on about a question or a problem, but no one ever even imagines that God might be in the room?

Yesterday, Jeff talked about the Feeding of the 5000.  The disciples came to Jesus and suggested he send the people away so that they could eat. Did the disciples ever consider that God was in the room?

Our scripture this morning is from Exodus 16. Verses 1-3 say:   

The whole Israelite community set out from Elim (ee-luhm) and came to the Sin desert, which is located between Elim and Sinai (si-ni) . They set out on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had left the land of Egypt. ² The whole Israelite community complained against Moses and Aaron in the desert. ³ The Israelites said to them, “Oh, how we wish that the Lord had just put us to death while we were still in the land of Egypt. There we could sit by the pots cooking meat and eat our fill of bread. Instead, you’ve brought us out into this desert to starve this whole assembly to death.”

It doesn’t sound to me like the Israelite ever considered that God was in the room.  We talk about having eyes that see abundance instead of scarcity, but I want us to hear today that when we forget that God is with us, that when God calls us to a particular work, that God will be part of what we are doing – when we forget that, we are seeing our world with eyes of scarcity. 

Continued on Wednesday...

Amazing Grace in Action

The following is a devotional I wrote for the West Virginia Annual Conference Lenten 2023 Devotional Ministry based on John 9:1-41.

He answered, I do not now whether he is a sinner.  

One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see (John 9:25)

When I was a junior in High School, a friend invited me to her church.  I went that Sunday, and the next, and never stopped.  I always remember being a person of faith, and I remember being baptized as a child, but I had never had an experience like the UMYF would give me.  Among other ministries, our group spearheaded the “tape ministry” for the church.  Youth copied the service onto cassette tapes and delivered them each week to those we called “shut ins.”  Twice a year we would go as a group and visit all of the shut-ins.  I particularly remember going in one day to about 20 different homes, and joining as the youth sang Amazing Grace with each person we visited.  

In this chapter of John, Jesus heals a blind man.  He does so in a way that alarms the religious leaders because they think Jesus has broken the Sabbath.  They call the man to testify about what happened to him.  “I was blind; now I see.” Jesus healed a physical problem the man had had since birth, but Jesus also brings him to faith.  If you read the entire passage, and pay special attention to they way the healed man referred to Jesus, you can see that at first he called Jesus a man, then a prophet, then a man from God, and finally he tells Jesus, “Lord, I believe.” Amazing  grace in action.

Verse 25 of the 9th chapter of John is said to be the basis of the lyrics of the hymn Amazing Grace.  The lyrics were written by John Newton, who was involved in the Atlantic slave trade.  One day, a terrible storm threatened his ship, and he prayed to God for mercy.  Eleven hours later, they were safe from the storm.  He considered this his spiritual conversion, and though he didn’t end his work in the slave trade immediately, he did eventually change his life.  I imagine if asked, his words for Jesus would have echoed the healed man’s words: a man, a prophet, a man from God, and then Lord.  Amazing grace in action.

I know I wasn’t blind to God before a friend invited me to church, but her invitation started me on a path that would not just change my life, but shape it into what it has become.  I believed in God, but until I was a junior in high school, I didn’t understand what it meant to belong to a faith community – to find support and hope through other members of the church and to reach out to the world in service.  Amazing grace in action.  How have you experienced God’s amazing grace? Who can you invite to join you?

Prayer: Surround us with your grace and move us to invite others to join us.

Are you a bridge?

Are you a Bridge?

John 17:20-26

I’m praying not only for them but also for those who will believe in me because of them and their witness about me.  The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind—just as you, Father, are in me and I in you, so they might be one heart and mind with us.

 

When I was growing up, my Great Aunt Sue lived across the Kanawha River from Glen Ferris.  Below the falls in the river was the creaky old bridge we would cross to drive to her house.  At the far end of the bridge was a small trailer where a man sat to collect tolls.  This was not a toll bridge, but he didn’t care.  To cross the bridge, you had to pay him money.  He was an unnecessary and unauthorized obstruction to reaching the other side.

 

What is the purpose of a bridge? According to the Googler’s friend, Wikipedia, a bridge is “constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually something that is otherwise difficult or impossible to cross.”  A bridge provides a way for us to reach something otherwise unattainable.

 

In today’s scripture from John 17, we are overhearing Jesus’s conversation with God.  Jesus is praying not only for his disciples, but also for those who will believe in Christ because of them.  If you think about it, Jesus, in this passage, is praying for us.  “The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind-just as you, Father are in me, and I in you, so they might be one heart and mind with us.”

 

I think it is more than amazing that Christ prayed for you and for me, for each of us and for all of us over 2000 years ago.  He prayed that we would be evidence to the world that God sent Christ to us and loved us in the same way God has loved Christ.  Did you catch that? He prayed that we would be evidence that God loves us the same way God loves Christ.    We are called to be the bridge so that other people can reach the unattainable conclusion that they are loved by God – beyond measure.

 

What kind of bridge will you be?  Will you be a bridge like Christ – opening the way for others to come to new life? Or will you be the obstacle like the man who collected tolls on the way to my Aunt Sue’s house?

 

Prayer: Loving God, open the way for us to be bridges to the knowledge of your love instead of obstacles.  In your son’s name, Amen.

Note: The above devotional was written by me for the West Virginia Annual Conference Advent devotional ministry. 

Surrender

The following is a devotional I wrote for the West Virginia Annual Conference Lenten Devotional Ministry.

Hebrews 10:16-25

I have a friend, who, when talking about the hymn I Surrender All, jokingly calls it “I Surrender Most.”  I don’t think I am alone in my unwillingness to easily surrender all (or sometimes anything) to God.  I like to hold on to control.  I like to operate under the illusion that I can handle whatever comes my way – that I can, in fact, fix it all.  And we all know that is not true, don’t we?  We can’t fix it all.  We can’t control everything.

 

This morning, I was listening to Casting Crowns’ song I Surrender All to Jesus.  The lyrics include “At your feet I lay me down, all my scars…”  And it goes on “No more chasing yesterday.”  As you think about those lyrics, read verse 17 from our scripture for today: “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”

 

Do we surrender our sin to God? Do we offer the pain of it, the burden of it to God? Will we let go of it?

 

Look at the grace God is offering to us.  “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”  This is the covenant God makes with us.  It is a promise from the heart of God.  This is grace freely given – not offered in exchange for something, but already given to us.

 

In our transaction-based society, it is hard to imagine that something as infinitely valuable as God’s love and forgiveness are given to us freely.  It’s hard for us to let go of that which we are ashamed us, isn’t it?  We relive our wrongdoing, playing it over and over in our minds, regretting what we did, wishing we could change the past. We can’t.  We can’t fix the past.  We can’t fix our sin.

 

Will you surrender your scars to Jesus?  Will you stop chasing the burden of what you did wrong yesterday?  Will you hear the words from God, “I will remember your sin and your lawless deeds no more” and believe it?  Will you open your heart and surrender all of your sins to Jesus, and feel the flood of healing grace God has already given to you?

 

Prayer: Loving God, we come to you in gratitude for the grace you have provided for us, for the loveliness of clean hearts and guilt-free souls.  Strengthen us to let go of our past mistakes so that we can experience your grace.  Amen.

Give it all away

But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not
because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, through the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. This Spirit he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.  (Titus 3:4-7)

It’s Christmas Day.  We opened the packages, emptied the stockings, and shared good meals with our families. Today is Christmas day, and what we might want more than anything is a nap.  But the time has come.  Christ has come.  Now what? 

The passage we read today tell us that Christ appeared, and brought salvation – not because of acts of righteousness, but because of God’s mercy.  “The spirit is poured out on us richly through Jesus.  

 A few years ago, we were with our boys at an amusement park in Florida.  We were having a great time together when the rain started.  This was not a drizzle, or a sprinkle; this was a downpour, unlike anything I had seen before.  The rain came down from heaven by the bucketful.  We were soaked – as they say – to the skin.  There was no escape, there was not dry shelter to be found.  The water covered us, and we have never been that wet. 

For me, that is what is means when the author of the passage says, “The Spirit is poured out on us richly through Jesus.  As we read these words on Christmas day, imagine that grace falls like that downpour upon us.  Drenching our lives.  Covering us completely.  The spirit pouring on us.   This is grace, abundant and overflowing.  Covering us not because of anything we have done or not done, and not because of anything we have earned.  Grace covers us not because of who we are, but because of the mercy of God.  

Christ has come.  Now what? We are covered in grace so that we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.  Open your hands and feel the hope land gently upon them.  Open your hearts, and know that hope recreates you.  Open your eyes and see the difference hope makes in your life.  

And then, because it’s Christmas, give it all away.  

When the Earth Shakes

The following is a devotional written to the West Virginia Annual Conference Laity Advent Devotional.

Luke 21:25-36

There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea, and the waves.  People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.  Then they will see ‘the Son of Man’ coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory.  Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.  Luke 21:25-28

I have to admit, when I read the scripture that Kristi Wilkerson assigned to me to use as the basis of this devotional, I wanted to write to her and ask her to TAKE IT BACK!  Surely, there was something different I could use – something about a baby boy born in a manger or a priest struck mute by the thought of a child to come? 

The passage, an example of apocalyptic scripture, uses symbolic themes and imagery to describe Christ’s second coming.  Knowing that, but also knowing that “about that day or hour no one knows” (Mark 13:32a), I think we make a mistake if we try to read this passage as a way to predict an end-time.

Instead, we need to face our fear, and try to understand what these words means to us, today.  Today is a bridge between the past and the future.  Standing here, on this day, and looking back, who could have predicted what has happened over the last two years?  No one.  Looking forward, do we have any idea what tomorrow will bring?  No idea.

What do we know?  We know that sad times will roar into our lives like the sea.  The earth will shake as catastrophes strike in our families.  There will be dark times when it seems like the sun, the moon, and the stars fail to shine.  This passage reminds us that even in those times, Christ comes.  God is here.  “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” (John 14:27).  This was true when Jesus told it to his disciples.  It is true for us, also.

Prayer: Loving God, even when the earth moves, the dark comes, and our world seems to end, make yourself known to us in your love and light.  Amen.

Unexpected Restoration

 

1 Samuel 2:1-10

 

Before reading Hannah’s Prayer, imagine Hannah’s life.  She was one of Elkanah’s two wives; his other wife, Penninah, had children, but Hannah did not.  Penninah bullied Hannah, and though Hannah’s husband loved her, he did not protect her from this ridicule. 

 

Hannah prayed that God would give her a son.  Why was this so important to her? As a childless woman (in her time), she feels unworthy and useless.  These feelings are only amplified by Penninah and by the society in which Hannah lives.  She is asking for a son, but she is also asking God for restoration.

 

In chapter 2, Hannah prays about the difference God has made in her life.  God has turned her life upside-down.  God has changed everything.  In her prayer, she says, “The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble gird on strength.”  And “He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor.”

 

Hannah cannot do this on her own.  The gift of restoration that God has given her was grace.  Unearned, and truly a gift.   Who or what in your life needs to be restored? Where do you need God’s grace? How can you follow in Hannah’s footsteps and release to God what is broken?  The result of God’s grace may not be what we expect, what we ask for, or even what we can imagine, but God is worthy of our trust.

 

Have you noticed? Do you remember? God turns water into wine, sinners into saints.  God uses tax collectors to spread the word of Life throughout the world, and God turns our own hands into God’s own.  God brings life from death.

 

Prayer: Creating and sustaining God, in my hands is what I cannot release.  Open my heart so that I can release to you what I cannot restore myself.  Open my hands with your grace and change my world.  In the name of your redeeming son, amen.

Note: Also published in the West Virginia Annual Conference Advent Devotional 2020.

An Angel on my Desk

The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. (Zephaniah 3:17)

Last year was the first Advent and Christmas season that the United Methodist Foundation (where I work) spent in our new office space.  We enjoyed decorating the space and planning for an Open House to welcome people into our space for cookies and tours.  Along with the Christmas tree, wreaths, and greenery, I set up a small nativity scene on a bookshelf.  It was in a conference room - the open house came and went, and I forgot about the nativity.  One day in January I noticed it and packet it up to take it back home.

A few weeks later when we were setting up for a meeting, I noticed that I had missed the packing away the angel. I sat her on my desk, meaning to take her home so that she could join the rest of her set.  But I forgot, and then I started to enjoy having her below my monitor, so I left her there.

And then, in February, we started hearing about a novel coronavirus.  By the middle of March, we were eating lunch in the office instead of going to restaurants.  By later March, we were working from home.  The world had begun to change.  We stopped traveling and started wearing masks.  We worshiped in our living room with our cat and didn't get to see Josh graduate from the University of Alabama.  

We did eventually return to our office, but there are no longer large meetings in the conference rooms.  We meet with each other via Zoom, and when we are together, we stay apart and wear our masks.

And an angel sits on my desk.  She is now a reminder that even when the world changes, God will quiet us with his love.  Even when we feel lost, God will find and save us.  Even when we cannot sing together, God is singing over us. 

An angel is sitting on my desk, and she will stay there to remind me that God is with us.

The Same Mind

Please read Philippians  2:5-11

"Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus" (verse 5)

Have you read Facebook recently? Skimmed through Instagram? Peeked at Twitter? Have you sat in a restaurant and listened to the conversations flowing around you? Have you tuned into the news? Have you noticed, the way I have, that many of us, including me, are convinced that we are RIGHT.  We believe that our judgment, our conclusions, and our actions are right, and those who disagree with us are WRONG.  And we fail to love.

Sometimes, in our tweets, our posts, and our conversations, we fail to see that the person in front of us, who we judge to be WRONG, is a child of God, created in God's image, and beloved.  Instead of seeing a person, we see an issue.  We see what we believe to be WRONG, and we fail to love.

"Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus."

As part of the work I do, I am privileged to travel through the Annual Conference. I meet many United Methodists, and I can tell you, we do not all agree.  And yet, even so, I have been welcomed everywhere I go.  Everywhere I go, people are feeding the hungry. They are teaching children about God. They are reaching out to their communities to share the light of Christ. Everywhere I go, people are being the CHURCH. 

To me, having the same mind that was in Christ Jesus does not mean that we agree.  It means that we love the way Christ loves.  It means that we empty ourselves of thoughts of ourselves, and we follow in the footprints of Christ, even to a cross.  We will always fail to love until we see the PERSON in front of us.

"Let the same mind be in you that was in in Christ Jesus."

Prayer: Creating and sustaining God, help us to walk in humility, dying with Christ, and living a new life.  Help us to love all of those around us, seeing our brothers and sisters through your eyes.  Forgive our judgment of others and our pride in ourselves, and free us for joyful obedience.  We prayer in your son's name, Amen.