Some Will Walk Away

Some Will Walk Away

by | Mar 19, 2025 | Community Conversations, Prayers

Today’s Community Scripture – 3/19/2025

So don’t be embarrassed to speak up for our Master or for me, his prisoner. Take your share of suffering for the Message along with the rest of us. We can only keep on going, after all, by the power of God, who first saved us and then called us to this holy work. We had nothing to do with it. It was all his idea, a gift prepared for us in Jesus long before we knew anything about it. But we know it now. Since the appearance of our Savior, nothing could be plainer: death defeated, life vindicated in a steady blaze of light, all through the work of Jesus. This is the Message I’ve been set apart to proclaim as preacher, emissary, and teacher. It’s also the cause of all this trouble I’m in. But I have no regrets. I couldn’t be more sure of my ground the One I’ve trusted in can take care of what he’s trusted me to do right to the end.

2 Timothy 1:8–12 (MSG)

– Reflection:

Some Will Walk Away

Demas had been Paul’s trusted traveling companion, sharing some of the hardships of his journeys. However, he left Paul sitting in his prison cell and turned his back on the work they had been doing for the Kingdom. Sometimes, friends we’re counting on will disappoint us and walk away. It’s easy to feel frustrated and discouraged by people who aren’t there for us when we think we need them. Sometimes, we spend our energy trying to win them over when they will not be won back to our side. But notice that Luke was still with Paul. You don’t need everyone you think you do.

– Where do we go from here?

God has already placed the right people in your life to help you reach your destiny. When they are the right people, you don’t have to impress them or manipulate or convince them to stay. They will be there for you through thick and thin. They will show up even when you didn’t ask. They will encourage you when nobody else is around. God will send you divine connections. This has always been true.

Our Prayer for Today

Father, thank You for the people You’ve placed in our lives to help us move through our destinies. Help us not become dependent upon their approval or try to get our value from them. We must declare that You have ordained divine connections for us just as You did for Paul. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

God Dares Us To Pray This . . .

by | Mar 17, 2025 | Community Conversations

– Today’s Community Scripture – 3/17/2025

Soak me in your laundry and I’ll come out clean, scrub me and I’ll have a snow-white life. Tune me in to foot-tapping songs, set these once-broken bones to dancing. Don’t look too close for blemishes, give me a clean bill of health. God, make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life. Don’t throw me out with the trash, or fail to breathe holiness in me. Bring me back from gray exile, put a fresh wind in my sails! Give me a job teaching rebels your ways so the lost can find their way home. Commute my death sentence, God, my salvation God, and I’ll sing anthems to your life-giving ways. Unbutton my lips, dear God; I’ll let loose with your praise.

Psalm 51:8–15 (MSG)

Key Verse – God, make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life. Don’t throw me out with the trash, or fail to breathe holiness in me. Psalm 51:10–11 (MSG)

– Reflection:

GOD Dares Us To Pray This…

In the aftermath of adultery and murder, King David pleaded with God, begging Him not to cut him off. David understood what it meant to know God, to spend time with Him, to listen to Him and trust Him, to love and be loved by Him—and he dreaded losing that closeness, goodness, and truth- and he dreaded losing that So, in desperation, he invited God to do something new within him, allowing God to rebuild his heart in whatever way He wished. He surrendered himself completely to whatever work, journey, or adventure God might have in store for him, deciding to trust God more than himself. How about we do that, too? While we may not be guilty of adultery or murder, we are all sinners, carrying the stain of sin. “If we say we have no sin… the truth is not in us.” So how about we also invite God to do something new in us? How about we, too, surrender to whatever work, journey, or adventure God might have for each of us? And how about we do it together, as men and women? We’ll be better for it. God is brilliant, good, and loves us. Might it be scary? Sure, it might. Might it even be a little painful? Sure, it might. Will it be one of the best things we ever do? It will.

Where do we go from here?

“Do a new work in me, God. You’re brilliant and good, and you love me. So do whatever you’d like. And whatever it is, I’m in. I’ll trust you more than I trust myself.” When we ask this question, be ready for the changes in your life. They are coming, and it will be up to you to honor every moment of change that God presents in your life.

Our Prayer for Today

Father, please do something new in us, just as you did for David in his times of need. We ask for the same transformation in us that David needed for himself. Grant us the ability to become the people capable of doing the new things that bring GOD all the glory. Amen.

Jesus Never Judged; We Shouldn’t Either

Jesus Never Judged; We Shouldn’t Either

by | Mar 14, 2025 | Community Conversations, Prayers

Today’s Community Scripture – 3/14/2025

When he finished that talk, a Pharisee asked him to dinner. He entered his house and sat right down at the table. The Pharisee was shocked and somewhat offended when he saw that Jesus didn’t wash up before the meal. But the Master said to him, “I know you Pharisees burnish the surface of your cups and plates so they sparkle in the sun, but I also know your insides are maggoty with greed and secret evil. Stupid Pharisees! Didn’t the One who made the outside also make the inside? Turn both your pockets and your hearts inside out and give generously to the poor; then your lives will be clean, not just your dishes and your hands. “I’ve had it with you! You’re hopeless, you Pharisees! Frauds! You keep meticulous account books, tithing on every nickel and dime you get, but manage to find loopholes for getting around basic matters of justice and God’s love. Careful bookkeeping is commendable, but the basics are required. “You’re hopeless, you Pharisees! Frauds! You love sitting at the head table at church dinners, love preening yourselves in the radiance of public flattery. Frauds! You’re just like unmarked graves: People walk over that nice, grassy surface, never suspecting the rot and corruption that is six feet under.”

Key Verse – “You’re hopeless, you Pharisees! Frauds! You love sitting at the head table at church dinners, love preening yourselves in the radiance of public flattery. Frauds! You’re just like unmarked graves: People walk over that nice, grassy surface, never suspecting the rot and corruption that is six feet under.”

– Reflection:

Jesus Never Judged; We Shouldn’t Either

“Jesus never judged anyone, and neither should we.” That was the statement made by the candidate for ordination to the Ministry of Word and Sacrament on the floor of Presbytery that day. I remember thinking, “Has this person even read the New Testament?” While I appreciate the sentiment against judgmentalism, the truth is, Jesus judged plenty of people in the gospels. However, that judgment was most often reserved for those who saw themselves as righteous, like the Pharisees. In fact, Jesus doesn’t mention hell very much in the gospels—only a total of seven times by my count. And when he does, it’s not to the crowds but to his own disciples or to the religious leaders of his time.

– Where do we go from here?

What does that mean for those striving to be faithful in this world? You’re reading this devotion today, likely as part of your daily faith practice. You’re working to live out your faith and apply it to your life. You’re closer to the Pharisees of Jesus’ time than to the crowds who live without any thought of God. So, what does Jesus’ judgment of the religious people of his day say to you? It undoubtedly serves as a guard against self-righteousness, that tendency to see the sins of others while remaining blind to the darkness within us. How do we respond to that inner darkness? Too often in this world, we view those living in poverty as individuals who have somehow sinned — they’re lazy, irresponsible, and so on. Behind that judgment lies a self-righteousness that believes we possess material wealth due to our goodness, while they lack it because of their sins. According to Jesus, one way to respond to this darkness within us is to share what we have with the poor, “give alms for the things that are within.” This generosity brings grace into our lives — “everything will be clean for you.” By living generously in response to God’s amazing grace for us, we will surely discover God’s grace for all those the world sees as sinners.

– Our Prayer for Today?

Father, as I look at this broken world, it’s easy to view myself as holier and above others. This brokenness exists within me too. Help me to respond by living generously with what You’ve entrusted to me, so that Your light may shine through my life and into this world that You love enough to enter and redeem. Amen.

Work Love Into Your Hearts

by | Mar 12, 2025 | Community Conversations

Today’s Community Scripture – 3/12/2025

“To you who are ready for the truth, I say this: Love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer for that person. If someone slaps you in the face, stand there and take it. If someone grabs your shirt, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. If someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously. “Here is a simple rule of thumb for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them! If you only love the lovable, do you expect a pat on the back? Run-of-the-mill sinners do that. If you only help those who help you, do you expect a medal? Garden-variety sinners do that. “I tell you, love your enemies. Help and give without expecting a return. You’ll never—I promise—regret it. Live out this God-created identity the way our Father lives toward us, generously and graciously, even when we’re at our worst. Our Father is kind; you be kind.

Key Verse – “I tell you, love your enemies. Help and give without expecting a return. You’ll never—I promise—regret it.

– Reflection:

Work Love Into Your Hearts

This is incredibly challenging! Love your enemies?! That is the command. It’s not just about trying to love your enemies; it’s about actively loving them, doing good for them, and expecting nothing in return. Love. Love. Love. We recognize the transformative power of love, yet it’s often easier to ignore, judge, hold contempt for, or outright hate them. I was raised with the understanding that hate leads to no positive outcomes. It’s not merely about being good or doing good. Jesus instructs us: love. So, love your enemies. Friends, now is the time to open our hearts and put in the effort.

Martin Luther King Jr. delivered countless sermons on this theme, the most notable one occurring in 1957 at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. Dr. King described what loving our enemies entails. Initially, we must cultivate the ability to forgive, ensuring that the evil acts of others do not obstruct our relationships. Next, we must understand that everyone possesses both good and evil aspects. Finally, our goal should be to earn our enemy’s friendship rather than to defeat them.

– Where do we go from here?

I don’t know about you, but I have some work. I think it will start with some genuine conversations and a lot of curiosity. How about you? Are you ready to open your heart and embrace love?

Our Prayer for Today

Father, standing in your love, grant us the courage to reach out in love, curiosity, and hope. Open our hearts to your love, which is always transformative and never-ending, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.