Devotional 1-6-08

Jesus, who are you?

At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.’ Jesus answered, ‘I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.’

The scripture above and the title were used in a sermon last spring by the Rev. Jim Morrison of St. Andrew By-the-Sea UMC in Hilton Head, SC.

But, upon reading the passage again and thinking about the sermon title, “Jesus, who are you?”; I was trying to imagine how many people, not only in Jesus’ own time, but down through the centuries, have asked that very question. And, I wonder how many have gotten an answer as concise and meaningful as the one I received as a youth.

My recollection goes like this: many years ago I was sitting in the choir loft one Sunday morning (and, you know, I was in a seat about where I sit now) listening to Dr. Rolla S. Kenaston preach on this identical question, “Jesus, who are you?” His answer has etched itself in my mind, and I have remembered it all these years. He said, “Jesus was just as much of God as could be crammed into one human form.”

As a young man, I looked up to Dr. Kenaston as I have very few others in my life. I thought then, and still do – if that description of Jesus is good enough for Dr. Kenaston, it’s good enough for me.

Prayer

Oh, Heavenly Father, thank you for sending your son to us –
To be our redeemer,
To be our savior,
To be our example for living, and
To being us the promise of eternal life.

It is with deepest reverence that we offer these thanks in the name of that self-same Jesus whom you sent to save the world. Amen.

Additional Scripture reading:
Ephesians 3:1-12
Matthew 2:1-12

Charlie Lewis

Devotional 1-5-08

Strong Tower

Please read Psalm 71:1-16

Be my rock of refuge,
to which I can always go;
give the command to save me,
for you are my rock and my fortress. (verse 3)

Refuge

When I wander through the desert
And I'm longing for my home
All my dreams have gone astray

When I'm stranded in the valley
And I'm tired and all alone
It seems like I've lost my way*

What is a refuge? It comes from the Latin word which means to escape or to flee, and it is defined as shelter or protection from danger or something to which one has recourse in difficulty (www.m-w.com). God is our solid refuge – the unchanging rock to which we can always go. Refuge shares a word origin with the word fugitive. Doesn’t that describe us sometimes? We are fugitives on the run, seeking protection from the problems and worries of life, desperate for salvation from our sin. We can run to our God, and he will give us help. It is a promise. It is a rock upon which we can build our lives and our faith.

Fortress

You are my strong tower
Shelter over me
Beautiful and mighty
Everlasting King
You are my strong tower
Fortress when I'm weak
Your name is true and holy
And Your face is all I seek*

What is a fortress? This word comes from a Latin word meaning strong. A fortress is a stronghold or a large and permanent fortification. God is our fortress. He is strong and permanent. He does not change, he never stops loving us, his grace is unending. Not only do we have a refuge, but our refuge is a strong fortress.

Hope

I go running to Your mountain
Where your mercy sets me free

In the middle of my darkness
In the midst of all my fear
You're my refuge and my hope
When the storm of life is raging
And the thunder's all I hear
You speak softly to my soul*

The Psalm describes the hope that we can find in God. Verse 5 says, “For you have been my hope, O Sovereign LORD, my confidence since my youth.” In God we find hope. Hope that believes that through him, all things are possible. Hope that will allow us to surrender our problems – everything that batters against us – to our God. He is our God. The Message version of this Psalm, in verse 3, says, “you said your door was always open!” God’s door is always open to us. He sent his son to us so that the door would be wide open to us.

So what is our response? As United Methodists we claim that our doors are always open. I know that we have a beautiful building, and sometimes it can feel like a refuge or a fortress, but that’s not our church, and those aren’t the doors that I mean. As a church, as a Body of Christ, are our doors open? As a church, are we a fortress for God’s children? Can people run to us as a refuge? Are we the light of hope to anyone?

We are called to be Christ-like. We are created in the image of God. When the fugitives of life – people just like us – look at us, do they see God? Do they feel God’s presence through our actions and our words?

Standing on this rock, secure in the hope we have in God, what is our response?

*(Lyrics from Strong Tower, Kutless)

Kim Matthews

Devotional 1-4-08

Lectionary Reading: Hebrews 11:23-28, 32-40

Hebrews talks about faith. It is because of faith, this belief in God, that I pray.

My praying consists of bedtime, morning time, praying while driving alone with the radio off in the car, and a plea or thank you prayer here and there, among other times.I have heard of prayer journals and recently read of a prayer bag. I was reading the October 24,2007 entry of The Upper Room. It was written by Robin Priestley of New Mexico, whose friend gave her a "God Bag". It is a brown paper bag in which she wrote in purple ink, "Robin's God Bag". The instructions were to write concerns and worries on slips of paper and to put the slips in the bag.

I think this is such a good idea and hope to use it to help me focus on praying. I do believe I have ADD, Attention Deficit Disorder, and most of the time I will begin praying and end up thinking about something else. I need to focus and am hoping a Prayer Journal or God Bag will aid me in doing such. I do have faith that prayer works and need all the help I can get. I have a lot to pray about these days.

With that in mind, let's pray.

Dear God, I know You know my thoughts and my heart. Please help me to focus and express my joys and concerns to you. Thank you for your Son in whose name I pray. Amen.

Kay Lewis

Devotional 1-3-08

As 2007 ends and the New Year has begun and all the Christmas decorations and gifts have been packed away, we can relax in our warm homes with the love of God and family surrounding us.

Have you ever thought of the workers who were not able to be home for the holiday? Some of them work on the towboats on the inland waterways. Their work makes it possible for the coal, oil, gas, and other freight to be transported for our convenience. These men and women work 30 days at a time 12 hour shifts, in all types of weather. There work takes them far from their homes and not able to enjoy the holidays. They may even miss many important family events.

These persons have a support system that Johnson Memorial U.M.C. has been involved in for several years. This is the Seamen’s Church Institute’s program, Ministry on the River and the program Christmas on the River.

Every year we pack gift boxes for each boat. The boxes consist of devotional material, hand knitted scarves, and this year we added other small gifts for them. The outpouring of gifts from the congregation has sent the message that they are not forgotten and that God loves them.

This ministry is near and dear to our family’s heart, as we know first hand how hard it is for the towboat workers to be away from home. My father, Steele Fisher, was a crewmember until the day he died suddenly in 1976. A while back I met two men who were delivering supplies for us to pack. They had known my father which brought this mission project so much closer to my heart, knowing we were able to touch others who had known him.

Fred and I enjoy being involved in this Ministry, and appreciate all those who have participated in this ministry by providing gifts and packing the boxes to nearly 300 crew members. This act of caring let’s them know they are loved and not forgotten during Christmas.


Christmas is not a time or a season, but a state of mind.
To cherish peace and good will, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas.
If we think over these things, where will be born in us a Savior and over us will shine a star sending its gleam of home to the world.
--Calvin Coolidge

Melanie Herr

Devotional 1-2-08

When I was 11 years old, and a member of Fifth Avenue Baptist Church, I was baptized by Dr. Norman Cox. My sister, one year younger, was to be baptized too, along with 15 others – so Dr. Cox decided that he would (since we were small) put us on his arm together and baptize us as one. All went well until the was bringing us up out of the water – and my sister rolled off of his arm and fell back in! The congregation gasped, and of course, he immediately set me to one side and went back for her! She was fine, but what he thought we be the debut of a “first” – became a definite last double ceremony!

I thank God every day for Johnson Memorial and its beautiful traditions – especially our “safe” baptism ritual.

Quinn Van Nostran

Devotional 1-1-07

The Prodigal Son Revisited
Upon completion of his military service, a young man retuned to his family and the community of his youth with a wife from a different culture. Blending in and reestablishing old relationships proved difficult. Finally he concluded relocation would be in everyone’s best interests. Accordingly, he took his family and moved to a distant state. He promised his parents he would visit often. He did return shortly (alone) to attend his father’s funeral and renewed the promise to his widowed mother.

The years passed and the mother’s health began to fail. Her other children nurtured her and cared for all her needs. She took little note of the love and affection shown by them because her mind was occupied by the other son—the prodigal. He did not call, he did not visit, he did not write! Yet, she cherished each flowery birthday card and each elaborate Christmas card always containing a promise to visit soon. Figuratively speaking, she kept a lamp trimmed and burning in the window as her eyes scanned the horizon for signs of her son’s return.

Finally, the long awaited visit came. He stepped off the bus and greeted his brother. Together, they mounted the steps and went inside to see their mother—at the funeral home. The opportunity for reconciliation and the mending of a broken relationship had been lost.

The beginning of a new year is a good time for all of us to examine our relationships. Has pride or stubbornness caused us to delay mending a relationship with someone? More seriously, is our relationship with God a little frayed? If the answer is “yes” in either or both cases, some self-examination and action may be in order. There is no time like the present—it’s always later than we think.

Anonymous