Devotionals
Reflections:
- In Isaiah the prophet calls to his people to look beyond their present state of affairs. He asks them to remember their past when God actively parted the seas and made straight their road in the desert. He says that remembering what God has done for us in the past will be the source of new hope in our times of struggle today. When we rely and focus on God, He will make a new thing of our lives and, in response; we will sing songs of praise.
- This week in Philippians Paul suggests that all of our achievements in life are worthless in comparison to what Christ has done for our lives. He offers that we cannot count on our own abilities to be true to God's laws and earn salvation. Instead, he says to focus all our energy on the salvation that Christ offers in order to "keep working toward that day when (we) will finally be all that Christ Jesus saved (us) for and wants (us) to be."
- In Psalm 126 the psalmist asks us to reflect on the restoration capabilities of God's love. God does great things in our lives including the germination of the seeds of joy that propagate within the darkest moments of our lives. As this occurs "our mouth (will) fill with laughter and our tongue will shout (for) joy."
- In the Gospel lesson in John we read the story of Mary anointing Jesus with expensive oils just days before His final trip into Jerusalem. We see in Mary's actions, an example of extreme worship that exploded from her love for Jesus. But we also saw that Martha and Lazarus, in their own ways, were also taking special care to show their love for Him. Judas, on the other hand, illustrates how a focus on selfish desires and perceived needs can take us so very far from being the disciples we are called to be.
The laughter seemed so inviting. The couple never broke eye contact with each other as they made their way, arm in arm, down the street towards her. They were happy and in love. "It seems like ages since I had something to laugh about," she thought to herself. "Has it really been ten years since that night Joe proposed?" It had been a wonderful August night, full of stars and romance. Their future, fresh out of school, had seemed so bright and full of hope. "Not a lot of hope now," she thought as she made her way past the couple and to her car. "Mom's car… What would I do without her?"
It had been a long shift at the hospital. She was in the final semester of nursing school and the hours they expected her to work were intense. Most of the time it was manageable but today her shift was scheduled right after she got off work from the restaurant. She didn't know how, but she made it through and now she could go home and sleep. "Mom's home… I wonder if Jason enjoyed his day at the park."
The trouble began when Jason was born with spinal bifida. It wasn't an extreme case but it required several surgeries. Tom's drinking and out-of-town sales trips increased almost immediately. "He was mad at God, me, and the world," she remembered. Then he left. He said he couldn't live with a cripple for a son or a wife who creates them. He still sends some money but it doesn't come close to paying the hospital bills and the insurance has run out since he lost his job.
She climbed into the car and closed her eyes for a brief moment. "What would I have done without Mom? It's not fair to her, having raised four kids by herself after Dad died. Now, when she should be relaxing, she is stuck raising a crippled child while I go to nursing school. How does she do it? She always seems so happy."
Just then she opened her eyes and saw the cross hanging from the rearview mirror. "It's her faith, isn't it?" She closed her eyes one more time and remembered how her mother had always insisted that they go to church as kids. Every Sunday it is still the same thing, up early and off to church with Jason. She wondered, "God, if you really are there, what would you have me do?" She knew the answer almost immediately. She slowly reached for the keys in the ignition and began her trip home. "I will only get four hours sleep but if faith helped Mom maybe I should give it a try. Don't give up yet, God. Here I come."
Closing Prayer:
Loving Father: We work so hard at life and many times it doesn't seem to matter. For no apparent reason our lives seem to turn and we find ourselves in the midst of hell. Illnesses, death, separation, divorce, anger, bankruptcy, auto accidents…the list goes on and on and on. Is this the way we are supposed to live? Is this all we can expect from life? And then we remember. We remember the happy times… times rich with warm sunshine and fond memories. Often those memories seem as distant as the farthest star but then, even alone in our dark despair, a light glimmers. A smile catches our attention. A flower blooms and the fond memories return. Lord, we pray that we come to realize that no matter how dark our lives may seem all we need to do is look for you. As we call out your name, seeds of joy will be planted. As we move closer to you, gloom will be replaced with hope. We know that you are not offering a painless, carefree life. Our joy comes from the knowledge that you have given us free access to your love for eternity. When that understanding breaks into our hearts we burst forth with song and a desire to praise your name in every worshipful act we can imagine. Thank you for your love. Through Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
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