Thursday’s Devotion: Unplugging – Well, Maybe.

Matthew 11:28  Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.

I love those words, “I will give you rest.”  It seems like life goes faster and faster.  I’ve learned that this is partly due to the explosion of information that bombards us each day.  Between entertainment media and our computers and smart phones we are exposed to more to think about than our ancestors could ever imagine.  When our brain gets tired, our body follows.  Every once in a while a friend posts that she is going to have an unplugged weekend.  That sounds restful or maybe a recipe for withdrawal symptoms!  Yet if we look at the first of this verse we see something interesting.  Jesus says, “Come to me.”  We don’t get the rest unless we first go to Jesus.  We can’t get to Jesus by watching TV or listening to playlists or checking Facebook or Tweeting.  We get to Jesus through genuine prayer, studying scriptures, and acts of kindness and mercy to others. Maybe we should all take some days when we unplug and accept Jesus invitation to come to him.

We are tired Lord of running in circles and being filled with useless facts. Help us to find quiet time when we can just focus on our relationship with the Divine.  Help us to find rest and peace. Amen.

Wednesday’s Devotion: A Rose is a Rose is a Rose

James 2:1-5  My brothers and sisters, practice your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ by not favoring one person over another. For example, two men come to your worship service. One man is wearing gold rings and fine clothes; the other man, who is poor, is wearing shabby clothes. Suppose you give special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say to him, “Please have a seat.” But you say to the poor man, “Stand over there,” or “Sit on the floor at my feet.” Aren’t you discriminating against people and using a corrupt standard to make judgments? Listen, my dear brothers and sisters! Didn’t God choose poor people in the world to become rich in faith and to receive the kingdom that he promised to those who love him?

My street ends at a cul-de-sac and a fence topping the bank along the expressway. Someone planted flowers there including orange trumpet vine and a variety of roses that climb the fence.  Yesterday morning I saw an almost perfect pink rose high up on one of the bushes. Near the ball fields I stopped to look at a pretty variegated rose in someone’s flower bed.  My rosy day wasn’t over. Imogene Valero brought me a vase of very beautiful pink, yellow and large lavender roses. When I saw the rose at the end of the road I had thought how this rose turned out healthy and beautiful even though it wasn’t privileged and tended like those in people’s yards, especially Imogene’s.  And yet it thrived.  Then I thought about all the wonderful, talented people who have come out of the poorest neighborhoods, not having the care and help that many others have.  I have a special admiration for urban neighborhoods like Reynoldstown and Edgewood where there is a mix of housing and where educated individuals are encouraged to live as resident mentors for others. This week’s travels have taken me though some rough looking neighborhoods and that gave me the opportunity to pray that God would help those living there have a good life. No matter where a rose may be planted, it’s still a rose.

Dear Lord, Help us not to judge people by where they live or how much money they have.  Help us to see all as people created by and loved by you. Amen.

Tuesday’s Devotion: A Lesson from My Dog.

 Matthew 5:9  Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

I was on my deck enjoying the beautiful afternoon yesterday when I heard an awful racket in the back yard.  Apparently Dino and Dandy our two male dogs were wanting to dig in the same critter hole and got into a fight. It was all snarl and show thankfully. I started to call to them to stop but then watched Daisy get between them and separate them. She scolded both of them by jumping on their shoulder and herding Dino away. She would have been a good mother dog.  I’ve observed her getting onto the others before for barking even though she does her own share of that.  My point is that if a dog can be a peacemaker, can’t we also do that?  Someone told me last night of two elderly siblings who got into an argument and didn’t speak to each other for several years. Life is too short to live it carrying resentments or being at odds with others. In addition, if we can help bring others back into a peaceful coexistence then hopefully we won’t ignore any opportunity to do that. As the scripture says, “let us love one another for love is of God.”

Heavenly Father, Help us to overcome all bitterness, resentment, and hurts in our relationships. Give us the boldness to intercede when others have problems with one another that we may truly be peacemakers. We ask in the name of the Prince of Peace. Amen.

HAPEVILLE FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
HAPEVILLE, GA

www.hapevilleumc.com

Monday’s Devotion: For Goodness’ Sake, Pay Attention!

Matthew 22:4-6 (NIV)  “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’  “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business.  The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them.

A king prepared a wedding banquet to celebrate the marriage of his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. Then he sent even more servants but again they paid no attention to the servants and went about their own business. 

Yesterday afternoon to unwind after a great Homecoming Joe and I drove up to Highlands and Franklin, NC to see the fall leaves. On the way we passed three separate bad wrecks.  The first involved six cars, the second four cars and the third maybe two cars but one was upside down. Joe and I agreed that most wrecks on the highway are a result of drivers just not paying attention to what they are doing and / or what others drivers are doing. Not paying attention to the path your actions are putting you on and not paying attention to the needs, cares or maybe warnings of others can also cause disastrous wrecks in one’s personal life. In this parable Jesus is describing the kingdom of heaven. At the banquet one of the guests who does attend comes without the proper clothing and is evicted.  Jesus concludes his story with, “Many are invited but few are chosen.” Perhaps he is saying that the chosen ones will be those who respond to God’s invitation (pay attention) and who live out their relationship with God by responding to God’s desire for their lives – love God, love one another (put on Christ). 

God you are constantly inviting us to come into a relationship with you, but we prefer to tend to our own interests.  We give you our spare time, if there is any. Open our eyes, Lord so that we may be more attentive to you and to others.  In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.

Friday’s Devotion: Seeing with the Mind’s Eye

Leviticus 19:18  “‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.”
Matthew 7:12  “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.”

I want to continue yesterday’s theme of looking around. In addition to seeing new things it’s important to consider how we see the things we look at. Here are two things I’ve found to be true: 1. Everything and everyone we see is filtered through our own worldview. 2. People see what they look for.  The best example I can give is from a seminary trip to France for a World Methodist Evangelism Institute seminar for French-speaking Methodists.  Before our group went, more than one person told me that the French were rude people. I’m optimistic and really believe that for the most part people reflect back what you show them.  Our group learned and worshipped with the French delegates.  We went into the small towns and into Paris where we ate and shopped.  We went in the spirit of friendship and found friendly people – not one rude person. If we had gone with a chip on our shoulder expecting rudeness we probably would have found it because the people would have reacted to our negative attitudes. If you constantly encounter rude people, maybe you need to examine what attitude you are carrying with you.  Do you expect rudeness or do you smile, speak kindly and reflect the light of Christ?  It isn’t a magic formula but I truly believe that the more you look for nice people the more you will find them. 

Holy Father, Jesus taught us the Golden Rule.  Help us to live it in our actions, in our speech, in our judgment, in our gratitude, in our attitudes and in the way we serve and love others. We ask in His name. Amen.

Thursday’s Devotion: Really – Stop, Look and Listen

Matthew 13:15 For this people’s senses have become calloused, and they’ve become hard of hearing, and they’ve shut their eyes so that they won’t see with their eyes         or hear with their ears or understand with their minds, and change their hearts and lives that I may heal them.

Although I like to vary my walking routes around Hapeville, when I need to get the most miles in the shortest of time I walk around the ball fields. Whether walking or running, my head is usually down so I can watch the sidewalks and not trip and bust my nose or worse.  I can be a klutz. Yesterday morning as I came around the front corner of the park I heard a bird singing. I looked up to see if I could spot it in the trees. Instead I saw something I hadn’t expected. On a streetlight hung a large hornet’s next. It had probably been there all summer but I hadn’t noticed. I was too busy looking down or maybe at the ball players & spectators.  When we get out of our rut and look in a new direction, we can make new discoveries. If you haven’t felt the evidence of God recently in your life, maybe you need to look somewhere new.  Read different scriptures; serve in a soup kitchen or homeless shelter; visit a shut-in; pray more and listen for a response with your heart. My feet become calloused from taking the same steps over and over.  Our senses become calloused from lack of variety.  We take things for granted and lose our sense of wonder as things become commonplace to us.  Look around and look up.  You may see something new.

God, you created a large wonderful world and populated it with many different types of things and people.  Help us to get out of our ruts and more fully sense and appreciate your creation.  We asked in the name of the one who healed the deaf and blind. Amen.

Wednesday’s Devotion – A Time to Dance

Jeremiah 31:13 Then young women will dance and be glad, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.

A remake of the movie Footloose will open soon. I can’t wait. I love the triumph of youth and exuberance over the prudish town folk who thought dancing should be banned. Ecclesiastes 3:4 says there is a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance. How did they not get that?  Friedrich Nietzsche wrote, “I would believe only in a God that knows how to dance.” I believe music and dance were given to us by God as ways to express emotions and especially joy. 1 Peter 1:8 says “Although you have never seen Christ, you love him. You don’t see him now, but you believe in him. You are extremely happy with joy and praise that can hardly be expressed in words” For this we have dance.  Babies dance naturally. We don’t dance enough.  “Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we're here we should dance.” – Anonymous

Lord, you promised your people joy and that they would dance once more.  Please help us to find our dance, even when life brings us difficulties. Amen.