April 17, 2022 – Easter Sunday

UMH 322 – Up from the Grave He Arose

Low in the grave He lay, Jesus my Savior,
Waiting the coming day, Jesus my Lord!
Up from the grave He arose;
with a mighty triumph o'er His foes;
He arose a victor from the dark domain,
and He lives forever, with His saints to reign.
He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!

Vainly they watch His bed, Jesus my Savior,
Vainly they seal the dead, Jesus my Lord!
Up from the grave He arose;
with a mighty triumph o'er His foes;
He arose a victor from the dark domain,
and He lives forever, with His saints to reign.
He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!

Death cannot keep its prey, Jesus my Savior;
He tore the bars away, Jesus my Lord!
Up from the grave He arose;
with a mighty triumph o'er His foes;
He arose a victor from the dark domain,
and He lives forever, with His saints to reign.
He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!

Robert Lowry

April 16, 2022

The Power of Prayer

“Again I say to you, if two of you agree on Earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in Heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am among them.” – Matthew 18:19-20

Many years ago, one of my favorite bosses came by to ask about some work that was to be done on the Air Conditioner just outside my office. I told him the guy had been there and had fixed it. He said, “You don’t know that; you only know he worked on it.” That message has stayed with me even to today.

From November 2020 to March 2021 practically every time I left home, it was to go to the E.R. or the nose and throat doctor for recurring nose bleeds. It was difficult to plan to do something, or to go any place because I might have a nose bleed with no warning. It was my practice to not go anywhere without a clamp for my nose. My boss’s old saying came back – since November a lot of people have worked on my nose, but no one fixed it.

As I write this, it seems we finally put the right person on the job! I had been praying for relief, but results came when Jacki, my daughter, asked the prayer circle at her church to include me in their prayers. Heidi’s sister did the same at her church. I also was put on the list at our church. (A trinity of prayer groups!) I don’t know if it was the sheer volume of prayers, or if God knew I was on the verge of doing something stupid. At my last doctor visit, he said “It looks like it is healed.” We all know who to thank for that!

Through all this difficulty, I never lost sight of how good I have it, and how blessed I am. Whenever I began to feel sorry for myself, I would be reminded of the struggles, disappointments and tragedies others have, or are enduring. I thank God every day for my many blessings.

Jack van Becelaere
(If you’re interested, you can ask Charlie what the “something stupid” was.)

April 15, 2022 – Good Friday

Living in the Light of Christ

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” – John 1:1-5

The word "Lent" means lengthening. During the Lenten season the days are getting longer – there is more light. So, for us Lent is a time to move toward the source of all light, Jesus.

Martin Luther once spent three days in a dark depression over something that had gone wrong. On the third day his wife came downstairs dressed in mourning clothes.

"Who's dead?" he asked her.
"God," she replied.

Luther rebuked her, saying, "What do you mean, God is dead? God is not dead!”
"Well," she replied, "the way you've been acting I was sure He had died!" (told by Ray C. Stedman in The Incredible Hope).

Church, sometimes we modern Christians fall into the same trap. We get stuck in the darkness and despair of abandonment, betrayal, and abuse. We get stuck on Good Friday. We get stuck there until we become uncomfortably comfortable there. We forget that yes, Jesus died, but he is alive again. The forces of sin, darkness and despair are defeated! Jesus went through a dark time, but he did not stay there. And neither should we. Because He lives, we can live also.

Rev. Will Wells, College Grove UMC

April 14, 2022 – Maundy Thursday

Hope of the World

Read UMH 178

“Hope of the world, thou Christ of great compassion, speak to our fearful hearts by conflict rent. Save us, thy people from consuming passion, who by our own false hopes and aims are spent." (Georgia Harkness, UMH 178, vs.1)

As I listen to the news stories of today, from local to international levels, I find myself deeply concerned about the state of affairs in the world we all share. The "bad” news stories far outweigh the “good” and inspiring ones. We are all too familiar with reports of hateful and fearful deeds, from glaring acts of violence and warring factions in human society to the many "hidden" and disguised attacks on people we simply don't like, or those who do not meet our personal needs and expectations. Of course, this same human drama has played out for as long as humankind has walked the face of the Earth. Any observant and caring person must wonder how long we will be content with this situation, disrupting meaningful life and making “peace on Earth, goodwill to all” seem to be but a fanciful dream. Thankfully and rejoicingly, a divine plan was sent to us in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.

“Hope of the world, God's gift from highest Heaven, bringing to hungry souls the bread of life, still let thy spirit unto us be given, to heal Earth's wounds and end all bitter strife." (UMH 178, verse 2)

As I see it, the ills of the world revolve around the fundamental problem of relationship. How we relate to each other, our world in general (including the domain of plants and animals and Earth's ecosystems) and, most importantly, how we relate to our Creator-God is central to how we live in this shared realm. There is little point in trying to solve problems unless we get to the root cause. Treating the symptoms provides temporary relief, which is helpful. But until the root cause is dealt with, problems will only recur, in different forms perhaps, but forms can be deceiving. How many wars have been fought across millennia for material gain, or because the leader of a country or tribe is afflicted with egomania? Examples can be found throughout human history and in our time as well. The "Great War" (World War I) was thought to be the war to end all wars, yet within a mere two decades, seeds of a greater and far more costly conflict had already been sown. Just within our American society, the increase in violence (and threats thereof) and lack of acceptance of those who appear differently or have dissimilar viewpoints is alarming. We read in Luke that a house divided against itself cannot stand.

Jesus opened up the path of light, so that we might not long remain in darkness. He challenges us to discover our true spiritual nature, our essential selves. “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24). "On the day when God created man he made him in the image and likeness of God” (Genesis 5:1) Perhaps, despite all worldly appearances of differentiation and of separation, we have been mistaken about our true identity, that there is a Oneness that unites us all. As an analogy, think for a moment of God as the ocean, and we are all ripples upon it. Some waves hail themselves as King of the ocean. How foolish. Key to how we ought to relate to one another is the fact that God is never absent from any part of His creation. If God were, that person could not even exist, for "we live and move and have our being in him" (Acts 17:28).

In Colossians we read: "The mystery, hidden through the ages and generations, has now been made known to his holy ones. To them God wanted to make known the wealth of the glory of this mystery among the nations, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” If we see the face of Christ in everyone we meet or look upon, whether for an instant or time measured in years, we remember and honor God. This cannot but change our point of view, for what we offer another is the same gift we give to ourselves. And Spiritual gifts must be given if we are to know them as our own. To have peace, teach peace to learn it.

Living a truly Christian life is not easy. Jesus asks us to love one another as he loved us. He even asks us to love our enemies. The world would call this a radical idea. Every day, in myriad ways, each of us has the opportunity to re-think our relationships to one another (and thus to God), to think about what is real and what is illusory, to remove the obstacles to peace and end conflict – in short, to become modern-day disciples of Jesus Christ. For it is through us that peace will come. The question to human society is: "Do we want it?"

Sincerely, Doug Dykstra

April 13, 2022

Learning a New Language

“Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.” – Colossians 3:16

Throughout the majority of his life, my dad was not an emotionally expressive person. He was incredibly kind and funny, so people were drawn to him. In the last several years of his life he learned a new language – a language of expression – music. Learning a new language is a great way to keep your brain young – and his was!

Besides the joy it gave him – both listening and playing – it gave him a way to express his feelings, and a way to share his new joy with anyone who was willing to listen. Most of our conversations were spent discussing music. The stories behind the music, chords, lyrics, and most importantly the feeling connected to those lyrics. He began sharing his new musical language with his congregation. He found songs that inspired everyone. The inspiration didn’t just come from the music and lyrics, but from witnessing a man who believed that despite his age, he could still learn a new skill, as well as learn and grow spiritually and emotionally.

He was especially fond of classic country music and was a wealth of knowledge on singers and the origins of their songs. He often commented about Roger Miller and his habit of writing ideas on scraps of paper and storing them in a box to go back to later. My dad liked the idea of writing a song, and I found snippets of ideas on many notepads worthy of a Roger Miller box. He didn’t write a song, but he was a prolific writer of devotions. Sorting through his file cabinets, I discovered a folder labeled Roger Miller File! In it were his notes for devotions for the next Lenten devotion book. What a gift.

Sometimes the things we like to do don’t seem like a gift – just a joy. Those may very well be the things God puts on our hearts knowing the joy they will bring to others. Let’s all try to share our gifts/joys – it may just inspire someone else to share theirs.

Dear God, thank you for the many joys we find in this Earthly life. Help us share those joys and gifts so we can be an example to others who hesitate to share, or recognize, their own. Amen.

Jacki Rumpp

April 12, 2022

When I Needed You

“Contribute to the needs of God’s people, and welcome strangers into your home.” – Romans 12:13

Since I recently moved to Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan from Rochester, NY during COVID, I have been looking for a church and found you, Grosse Pointe United Methodist Church. I’ve missed my former church and visited several, but virtual is not the same as attending and meeting people. When actual attendance was allowed I visited the churches I saw online and then I found this one.

I give thanks to you every day because you welcomed me and invited me in to participate. I have met people of all ages. I especially want to give a shout out to Vivian Anderson who greeted me and informed/invited me to some events where I’ve met more of you.

At my age I have been blessed with good health, loving and helpful family nearby, and now a new church family. Blessings to all of you. You have contributed to my needs at a time of my life when I needed you. Thank you!!

Claire Welch

April 11, 2022

Receiving Grace, One Penny at a Time

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God — not the result of works, so that no one may boast.” - Ephesians 2:8-9

After my mom died, I was responsible for cleaning out her home, making sure to distribute belongings to relatives and charities. Along the way, of course, there were lots of fun and quirky discoveries, as there always are when you are looking at someone else’s belongings.

At the bottom of her bathroom cabinet, I discovered a glass jar labeled “found money” and filled with coins. There was about $22 in the jar, mostly pennies but with occasional nickels, dimes, and quarters in the mix.

Mom had a habit of never passing by a coin that she spotted on the ground. “See a penny, pick it up, all day long, you’ll have good luck.” That was a refrain that I heard often as I grew up.

Both of my parents were the right combination of generous and frugal. I could tell many stories about both of them and the ways in which they reached out to help others, and I could balance those tales with just as many stories of their frugality. As children of the Depression, they took neither generosity nor frugality lightly.

So picking up those coins was a habit borne out of Mom’s lifetime of watching her pennies and counting her blessings. This “found money” was unearned so she treated it with care. Each coin was an expected gift, something that simply appeared on her path as she went about her life. That $22 in coins represented literally hundreds of moments when she recognized that she had been gifted with something of value. She did not just deposit those coins in her purse to blend in with other money.
She picked up each coin, reflected upon her luck, and set it aside in this special place.

Mom and her collection of coins makes me think about the gift of God’s grace. I am showered with that grace every day. I have done nothing to earn it, but I feel the gift of that love all around me. I am no more deserving of that grace, that love, than anyone else. But I am blessed every moment of every day to have it. Recognizing that I am the recipient of such grace emboldens me to live the life that God intended for me.

Prayer: As I absorb God’s grace every day, please help me to honor that gift by recognizing that I have received it and by ensuring that I do all that I can to live fully in the way that God intends me to live.

Joan Richardson

April 10, 2022 – Palm Sunday

UMH 60 – I'll Praise My Maker While I've Breath

I'll praise my Maker while I've breath;
and when my voice is lost in death,
praise shall employ my nobler powers.
My days of praise shall ne'er be past,
while life, and thought, and being last,
or immortality endures.

Happy are they whose hopes rely
on Israel's God, who made the sky
and earth and seas, with all their train;
whose truth for ever stands secure,
who saves th'oppressed and feeds the poor,
for none shall find God's promise vain.

The Lord pours eyesight on the blind;
the Lord supports the fainting mind
and sends the laboring conscience peace.
God helps the stranger in distress,
the widow and the fatherless,
and grants the prisoner sweet release.

I'll praise my God who lends me breath;
and when my voice is lost in death,
praise shall employ my nobler powers.
My days of praise shall ne'er be past,
while life, and thought, and being last,
or immortality endures.

John Wesley, 1737

April 9, 2022

Buried Treasure

Read 2 Timothy 3:14-17

I’ve been sorting, tossing, and donating from my dad’s house. He had quite a few winter coats that I was glad would get new homes with people who needed them. I searched all the pockets first. One of the coats, in an obscure closet behind the furnace, had an iPhone in an inside pocket. I remembered that my dad had to get a new phone because he lost his. When I told my brother, Charlie, I had found it, he mentioned that my dad had written a devotion about losing it. So – I looked it up. I found it in the 2019 GPUMC Lenten Devotion book. As part of Dad’s devotion, he said, “The loss of the phone was not a big concern – phones are easily replaced…The real loss was the information on the phone.”

As most of you know I recently lost my dad – but he is not easily replaced! But there is also a big loss of information in his head. As I dug through his files and desks, I found pieces of paper here and there with information about where certain pieces of furniture had come from, family lineages and birth and death dates. Bits and pieces contribute to a story, but can’t create the book(s) that could be written from the first-hand account of those who knew the answers to the questions still to be asked. I know Charlie has been putting together the ancestry puzzle – and there are several things written down. I am interested in the furniture and accessories that hold meaning for me and will compile whatever bits and pieces of writings I can find.

This brings me to my main point/or question. Where do we turn when we no longer have first-hand information available to us? (A secondary point is to ask all your questions of the living while they are with you!) Jesus is no longer walking around in the flesh answering our questions. Although his answers then were often no more concise than bits and pieces that had to be sorted out! But the answers are all there in the Bible. Thankfully there were people around who had the sense to write it all down for future generations – us.

Too often, I find myself wishing I could ask something, or know the right thing to do or say, when guidance is right there for the taking – if I would just open my Bible and look!

Dear God, thank you for being there with answers to my questions. Help me to remember to look for them and to recognize them. Amen

Jacki Rumpp

April 8, 2022

Focus

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” – Psalm 19:14

I decided to begin 2022 with picking a word. My word has been FOCUS. One of the things I have chosen to focus on is memorizing scripture. I have tried this in the past without much success. What has seemed to change this time is my FOCUS on God while finding the appropriate scripture to memorize. Every morning I read the Holy Bible app’s verse of the day and the devotional that goes along with it. While focusing on God I am led to which verses God is speaking to me personally. This seems to be working and as of today I have memorized 15 verses.

The one that especially came to mind while writing this devotional was “Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”

This particular verse has led me in my conversations with others lately and what I let my self think about. If the Lord would not be pleased with my words or what I am thinking then I shouldn’t be saying it or thinking it. When I realize I am dwelling on the negative and the words of my mouth sound like my negative attitude, this scripture points me in God’s direction.

Lisa Sicklesteel

April 7, 2022

Is It Time Yet?

Read: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

I hate Daylight Saving Time change. I suspect I'm not the only one, since every time it occurs there is a call to get rid of it, which never happens.

Our dog, Jax, is also not a fan. Jax's sense of time is the rhythm of his own body. He is also very “food focused.” As a result, when the clock changes, the following occurs. Jax finds me when he determines it is his dinner time (when his stomach says it should be). He gives me the “dog stare” (if you stare at the human long enough, you will get what you want). I tell Jax, “not yet, it's only 3:30, you eat at 4:30.” This sequence is repeated every 5 minutes until it is 4:30 or I give in, whichever comes first.

Our prayer life can be similar, when we keep “asking” God for something, and when it doesn't happen right away, misinterpreting the answer. God responds in His own time and way. Maybe the answer to our prayer is, “not yet.”

Prayer focus: dogs and what we can learn from them

Sue DeWitt

April 6, 2022

Purposeful Gratitude

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” – Romans 15:13-15 NIV

I can't remember exactly when I wrote my first devotion, but it was a long time ago and I think I've written at least one every year since.

Usually, they stem from some event that was disruptive and sticks in my mind and in hindsight reminds me of how God is working in our lives. Sometimes they are a reflection on a particularly difficult time that God helped me get through.

This past year I have certainly had ups and downs, highs and lows, trials and tribulations; but as I sit down to write this, all I can think of is that my life is good, my burden is light, and my blessings are many. It's almost like, I'm embarrassed to say, my life is so good that I've become complacent about it. My reflection on the disruptions of the past year is dull (if you know what I mean).

I have conversations with God every day and I feel his presence in my life and that brings me daily peace. But it’s almost like a good friend you know will always be there for you, so you start taking them for granted and don’t notice all they do for you.

Maybe I’m still on an artificial high from 5 weeks in Hawaii and that is why everything feels so good, LOL. I’m not sure but I but I am moved today to make this Lent one of gratitude. Of being purposeful each day in recognizing all the blessings in my life. All the people, experiences, and yes, things that bring me joy. Especially the peace that comes from God and the promise of eternal life.
 
Prayer intentions today for all whose cup overflows and even more so for those in need.

Cathy Lorenz

April 5, 2022

UNCERTAINTY – Listen for God’s Voice

“Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” –
Hebrews 11:1

Have you ever had not one, but two or three or more issues looming in your future to be handled all at once? You almost feel like telling God – “Hold off – I have enough to know the only way I can face and handle all issues at once is to trust You!” This conundrum feeling usually occurs during the middle of the night for me which compounds the confusion and angst interrupting restorative sleep.

The Upper Room has always been beside my bed to be read upon waking in the morning. Lately, I changed the practice and started to read the Upper Room in the middle of the night during those fear times. God speaks to us in many ways, through the voice of friends, the written word, the beauty of music, gorgeous sunsets, and on and on, but lately for me during reading of the Upper Room in the middle of the night I find some peace. The mediation for the day has been ‘spot on’ calming my mind allowing sleep to return.

The midnight conundrums still occur but listening to God speak through the Upper Room does make them less disturbing.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for giving us peace by speaking to us through the written words of others.

Thought: Listen for and to God’s voice speaking to you.

Carolyn Barth

April 4, 2022

Learning to Love Little Brown Birds

“I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine.” – Psalm 50:11

Thanks to Judy Wilcox, I spend way too much money on bird feed every month. When Judy and I were part of a small group at church, she used to rhapsodize about how much she loved watching the birds in her yard. Honestly, she was just poetic when she described how they looked and the joy she felt at watching them cavort around her yard.

I was so inspired by her stories that I decided to try this myself. So I bought a bird feeder and a lot of bird seed, filled the bird bath, and sat back. I told the salesman at Wild Wings that I wanted to attract cardinals and other colorful bird, and he recommended some specific mixes to do that.

As soon as I filled the bird feeders, my yard was filled with sparrows and their ilk. Nothing colorful at all. I waited and waited and waited and still I had only pretty ordinary sparrows in my yard.

I wasn’t getting what I wanted so I quit feeding the birds.

It took me a while to realize I had the wrong attitude about this. What if my mother had refused to feed me because I wasn’t her prettiest child (and I wasn’t!)? Would Jesus refuse to love me because I wasn’t colorful enough for him? Would he deny me his love because I didn’t live up to some standard of perfection? I hardly think so.

So I’ve gone back to spending a ridiculous amount of money on bird feeders, bird seed, suet, and the like. And the sparrows have rewarded me by coming back.

With a new attitude, I am finding myself charmed by watching flocks of gray-brown birds twittering around my back yard, indulging in the nourishment they need to thrive. All of God’s feathered creatures are welcome at the RR backyard table, colorful or not. Just like all of us are welcome at Christ’s table.

Prayer: Help me to remember that all of God’s creatures deserve our love and care, not simply those who are pleasing to our sight. Help us to do what we can when we can to feed, clothe, and shelter all creatures who inhabit this Earth. All of them are worthy of our love.

Joan Richardson

April 3, 2022

It Was Jesus

Read Acts 20:34-35

I was listening to one of those “radiothons” on WJR for the Salvation Army. I normally give to them as well as several others near the end of the year.

As the “prattle” went on, I was responding to the radio with, “yeah, yeah” “oh sure” “of course” and many other non-responses; above it all with condescending comments.

I guess God had heard enough! All of a sudden I was taken over by a sense that I had to contribute. Not only contribute, but how much! I never had a feeling so strong or so directed and specific.

I was reminded of a thing that happened to country singer Roy Clark. He was on stage performing in a small town where 90% of the people worked for a large company in town. Unfortunately, the plant had just closed. Roy tells how he was between songs when he heard a voice say, “Don’t take the money.”
The voice wasn’t out loud, but he heard it. He looked up and said, “what?” The voice came again: “Don’t take the money.”
When it came time for them to pay him, Roy said no to the money – and to a specially engraved shotgun valued at $800. He said that in no uncertain terms, according to a young reporter who was taking notes. Roy told the reporter, “Don’t say it was Roy Clark; it was Jesus. Make sure you say that.”

In my case, I didn’t hear a voice, but I didn’t need one. The message was clear. The other day I was thumbing through my check register and noticed the donation. I started thinking of the Bible where it says “it is better to give than receive.” I had that pleasure, but it made me wonder about who had I helped, and probably how many. Whatever the answer to this is, they did not have the chance to give, but no doubt were grateful to receive.

Thank you, God, for directing me when I needed You.

Jack van Becelaere

There by the Grace of God go I!

April 2, 2022

His Loving Family

“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” – John 1:12
“For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” – Galatians 3:26

Many years ago, when our children were still young and we were new to the church, we were trying to decide whether to go to the church’s winter retreat at Lake Louise. We had been for a couple of years; however, it was getting harder for the five of us in the room provided. We decided to ask the children if they wanted to go. Our children spoke up immediately and said that they wanted to spend the weekend with our church family.

This delighted me to no end. My children felt that GPUMC and its members were a part of their extended family, and they were happy to get involved in the Christian based activities the church provided. We didn’t feel this close family-like tie with our previous church. It was nice that all of us have found a church where we felt that we belonged and still feel that way today.

We are delighted to have GPUMC as our church family, but more importantly, we are blessed that through faith in Christ Jesus we are all children of God and are members of his loving family.

Steve Sicklesteel

April 1, 2022

Youth in Mission

Read: 1 Timothy 4:12

For over twenty plus years Jack and I were fortunate to spend winters in Florida. We attended a church in St. Petersburg Beach. They had a junior and senior youth group, led by the same person, both very large and active.

Every year they went to a different city to do charity work. This year about 35-40 senior youth are going to Paris, Florida for a week.

One Sunday in the spring before they leave for their trip they are in charge of a Sunday worship service. It is always an enlightening service, and has some beautiful singing.

Our own youth group here is not as large by number, but every year (except in the pandemic) they go to Kentucky to help some less-fortunate families. Our youth are always so cheerful and excited to share their experiences with us.

Let us pray our trip this year will be able to go. And also a big thanks to the adults who have given up vacation time to chaperon their trip.

Sara Wooton