April 20, 2014 – Easter Sunday

All You that Seek the Lord Who Died (Charles Wesley)

All ye that seek the Lord Who died,

Your God for sinners crucified,

Prevent the earliest dawn, and come

To worship at His sacred tomb.

The Lord of Life is risen indeed,

To death delivered in your stead;

His rise proclaims your sins forgiv’n,

And show the living way to Heav’n.

Haste then, ye souls that first believe,

Who dare the Gospel-Word receive,

Your faith with joyful hearts confess,

Be bold, be Jesus’ witnesses.

Go tell the followers of your Lord

Their Jesus is to life restored;

He lives, that they His life may find;

He lives, to quicken all mankind.

April 19, 2014

Psalm 22

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?

O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,

and by night, but I find no rest.

Yet you are holy,

enthroned on the praises of Israel.

In you our fathers trusted;

they trusted, and you delivered them.

To you they cried and were rescued;

in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

But I am a worm and not a man,

scorned by mankind and despised by the people.

All who see me mock me;

they make mouths at me; they wag their heads;

“He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him;

let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”

Yet you are he who took me from the womb;

you made me trust you at my mother's breasts.

On you was I cast from my birth,

and from my mother's womb you have been my God.

Be not far from me,

for trouble is near,

and there is none to help.

Many bulls encompass me;

strong bulls of Bashan surround me;

they open wide their mouths at me,

like a ravening and roaring lion.

I am poured out like water,

and all my bones are out of joint;

my heart is like wax;

it is melted within my breast;

my strength is dried up like a potsherd,

and my tongue sticks to my jaws;

you lay me in the dust of death.

For dogs encompass me;

a company of evildoers encircles me;

they have pierced my hands and feet—

I can count all my bones—

they stare and gloat over me;

they divide my garments among them,

and for my clothing they cast lots.

From you comes my praise in the great congregation;

my vows I will perform before those who fear him.

The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied;

those who seek him shall praise the Lord!

May your hearts live forever!

All the ends of the earth shall remember

and turn to the Lord,

and all the families of the nations

shall worship before you.

For kingship belongs to the Lord,

and he rules over the nations.

All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship;

before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,

even the one who could not keep himself alive.

Posterity shall serve him;

it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation;

they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn,

that he has done it.

April 18, 2014 – Good Friday

The Garden

Read or Sing UMH #314

"The Garden" by Paul C Thomas

The gowned woman rises, and it may be her last

Her sons have her arms, and she thinks of her past

Her husband has gone, perhaps he’s above

If not watching, then knowing, and sending his love

For the pain that she feels in the depths of her bones

And the fury it’s wrought, bringing only hushed moans

That her family has heard, throughout her long course

But she remains steadfast and, a radiant force

Of wisdom and will and elegance and grace

Something that illness could never erase

Her resolve was unmatched when facing her cancer

That physicians and scientists couldn’t quite answer

Not with drugs or blades or technique refined

She’s been pressed by disease that’s not yet defined

Yet she says to her boys, “one more stroll through the garden

One last breath of fresh air, ‘fore I’m granted my pardon”

And they walk with her earnestly, giving their strength

Their love, their blessing, their unending thanks

To this woman who stands hunched, yet taller than ever

Who’s carried her dignity throughout this endeavor

And once in the garden, she sits down to rest

“I’ve seen, I’ve lived, I’ve given my best”

And the men understand, what’s spoken is true

And their eyes now have tears, like the petals have dew

"… And He walks with me and He talks with me and He tells me I am His own; and the joy we share as we tarry there, no other has ever known."

April 17, 2014 – Maundy Thursday

Wash Your Hands Before You Eat

Read: John 13:2-8, Luke 22:14-23

My Mom tells the story of when she and her sisters were staying with their Aunt Maxine and Uncle Harold. One of the girls asked, “Uncle Harold, why did you wash your hands before breakfast?”

“Well,” answered Uncle Harold, “I don’t know where they might have been.”

We’ve all been told to wash our hands before we eat, and we all pretty much understand why. Just as Uncle Harold said, who knows where those hands have been? We’d best make sure they’re clean so we don’t get anything in our food.

I was thinking about that the first Sunday of a recent month – one when we had a baptism in addition to Communion – and I realized that’s what we have as our only two sacraments in the United Methodist Church. We wash (Baptism) before we eat (Communion), and it’s for almost the same reason. The big difference is that we really do know where we’ve been. We’ve been out in this fallen world; and it’s even more important that we clean that from ourselves before we come to God’s table than that we clean the dirt off our hands before we eat our sandwich at lunch. (After all, a little bit of dirt in your food isn’t going to kill you.)

Of course the other big difference with baptism is that it’s a once for all kind of washing. Really, it’s not the baptism that’s the washing, baptism is just a sign to everyone that we’ve been made clean by accepting Christ as our Lord and Savior, and once He’s washed us, we’re clean. (As he said to Peter, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean.” John 13:10a.) It’s His blood that washes us, not the water in the font.

You know, these two sacraments keep getting closer: “This is My blood of the new covenant, poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for washing us clean so that we may eat at Your table. Help us to remember that we’re to be doing Your work with our clean hands.

Thought for the day: Where have my hands been? What have I been doing with them?

Charlie van Becelaere

April 16, 2014

In Someone’s Prayers

Read: 2 Corinthians 3:1-3

My sister sent this to me and I thought it a perfect addition to the Lenten devotional. As for a Bible verse, I think I would select Lynn Van de Putte's favorite: "Be still and know I am God" because I think if we followed that advise, we would make more decisions like the one described here. I only hope I will stop next time I spill the apples!

A few years ago a group of salesmen went to a regional sales convention in Chicago. They had assured their wives that they would be home in plenty of time for Friday night's dinner. In their rush, with tickets and briefcases, one of these salesmen inadvertently kicked over a table which held a display of apples. Apples flew everywhere.

Without stopping or looking back, they all managed to reach the plane in time for their nearly-missed boarding... ALL BUT ONE!!! He paused, took a deep breath, got in touch with his feelings and experienced a twinge of compassion for the girl whose apple stand had been overturned.

He told his buddies to go on without him, waved good-bye, told one of them to call his wife when they arrived at their home destination and explain his taking a later flight. Then he returned to the terminal where the apples were all over the terminal floor.

He was glad he did. The 16-year-old girl was totally blind! She was softly crying, tears running down her cheeks in frustration, and at the same time helplessly groping for her spilled produce as the crowd swirled about her; no one stopping and no one to care for her plight. The salesman knelt on the floor with her, gathered up the apples, put them back on the table and helped organize her display. As he did this, he noticed that many of them had become battered and bruised; these he set aside in another basket.

When he had finished, he pulled out his wallet and said to the girl, "Here, please take this $40 for the damage we did. Are you okay?" She nodded through her tears. He continued on with, "I hope we didn't spoil your day too badly."

As the salesman started to walk away, the bewildered blind girl called out to him, "Mister...." He paused and turned to look back into those blind eyes. She continued, "Are you Jesus?" He stopped in mid-stride.... and he wondered. He gently went back and said, "No, I am nothing like Jesus – He is good, kind, caring, loving, and would never have bumped into your display in the first place.”

The girl gently nodded: "I only asked because I prayed for Jesus to help me gather the apples. He sent you to help me, so you are like Him – only He knows who will do His will. Thank you for hearing His call, Mister."

Then slowly he made his way to catch the later flight with that question burning and bouncing about in his soul: "Are you Jesus?"

Do people mistake you for Jesus?

That's our destiny, is it not? To be so much like Jesus that people cannot tell the difference as we live and interact with a world that is blind to His love, life and grace.

If we claim to know Him, we should live, walk and act as He would. Knowing Him is more than simply quoting Scripture and going to church. It's actually living the Word as life unfolds day to day.

You are the apple of His eye even though you, too, have been bruised by a fall. He stopped what He was doing and picked up you and me on a hill called Calvary and paid in full for our damaged fruit.

"Being happy doesn't mean everything is perfect. It means you've decided to see beyond the imperfections."

The nicest place to be is in someone's thoughts, the safest place to be is in someone's prayers, and the very best place to be is … in the hands of God

Carolyn Franklin

April 15, 2014

Preach the Word

Read: 2 Timothy 1:8-14

My cousin lives in Florida and did not attend church much for the last decade or more. Now she has begun to enjoy the fellowship of a large non-denominational church and has become involved in its activities. I am happy that she is on a better spiritual path, but there is a small problem. Several times she has emailed links to the video of their Sunday sermon, and I have dutifully watched them, wishing to encourage her new interest in spiritual growth.

Over time I have watched several of the Florida services and have been struck by the pastor’s psychological emphasis rather than any Biblical tie-ins. Yes, the message probably gave the congregation a pleasant mood lift, but were they led to a closer walk with Jesus by the sermon? Psychological help can often bring people to needed changes in their lives but how effective is it in guiding the hungry soul looking for deeper meaning in life?

Last Sunday my heart was filled with renewed gladness at the message Pastor Judy shared with our congregation. As always, the theme was straight from the Word of God. The topic was WATER, and that was woven into Biblical references on baptism and how we as followers of Christ can continuously grow in His love which we are taught to share with the world in many different ways.

We are so blessed to have guidance from pastors who are confident in sharing wonderful Biblical teachings each Sunday! Our individual lives can be made fuller and richer as we, however imperfectly, strive to share God’s presence through the way we live our lives.

One of my favorite Bible verses is this, from Philippians 1:6: “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” How grateful we at GPUMC can be, to experience the teachings that can guide us to be fertile fields for Christ’s love, enabling us to grow until completion.

Joy Baker

April 14, 2014

Love Thy Neighbor!

Read: Mark 12:31

Neily Clardy was known as Buddy. He has been my mother’s neighbor for over 40 years. However Buddy was an extended family member that used to sit on his porch when the weather would permit. No matter who pulled up to my mom’s house for a visit, Buddy would graciously greet them with a "hello," and even share with that person whether my mom was home or not. He was so reliable, that he would tell you to stay in the car when my mom wasn't there, just to save you time. I have always felt comfortable when my mom was home alone and my younger sister was not there with her because of Buddy. Because Buddy lived next door I always had a feeling of peace that my mom was being protected. Loving this neighbor was easy because he simply loved my family and everyone who he came in contact with.

On any given day my mother would take him dinner or ask us to take him a container of any dish she had made for that day. My mother took very good care of him because she knew he was elderly and he needed the help. However Buddy took care of her and the rest of us in his own kind of way. He would invite you to sit with him and he would tell some of the best stories you have ever heard. In most of his stories he delivered a message which I always loved. Believe it or not he was very knowledgeable in raising girls because he raised his very own daughter; all by himself. I have three sisters and other female cousins and aunts that would visit from time to time. Therefore if he saw something he didn't like coming from one of us he would sit us down and explain in his own way his thoughts. I believed he favored us because it was so many women in my family and like his daughter he loved the women in my family.

Buddy was called to be with God in January and he has been missed tremendously. However we still have a piece of him with us because his daughter is next door and she is also connected to my family just as her father was. Loving your neighbor can be a life-long living love if you accept the love and devotion they have for you. I find now that many individuals do not embrace relationships from neighbors for various reasons however if you do, you can see it can be very rewarding.

Qiuana Sharp

April 13, 2014 – Palm Sunday

All Glory, Laud, and Honor (Theodulph of Orleans; trans. by John Mason Neale)

All glory, laud, and honor,

to thee, Redeemer, King,

to whom the lips of children

made sweet hosannas ring.

Thou art the King of Israel,

thou David's royal Son,

who in the Lord's name comest,

the King and Blessed One.

(Refrain)

The company of angels

are praising thee on high,

and we with all creation

in chorus make reply.

(Refrain)

The people of the Hebrews

with psalms before thee went;

our prayer and praise and anthems

before thee we present.

(Refrain)

To thee, before thy passion,

they sang their hymns of praise;

to thee, now high exalted,

our melody we raise.

(Refrain)

Thou didst accept their praises;

accept the prayers we bring,

who in all good delightest,

thou good and gracious King.

(Refrain)

April 12, 2014

Love One Another

Read: John 13:34-35

(This is a slightly edited version of an email from Ron to a bunch of friends who descended upon the Draper abode for a Fall cleanup.)

Well hi all, (and this really is to all of you: everyone who has prayed for us, cooked for us, transported us, made blankets for us, visited us, and thanks to all for all the cards and well wishes, we passed a lot of time reading and savoring each card that comes in. The outpouring of help for us is truly something to behold.)

Yet again you've humbled us beyond words. After everyone went home, I took the Lovely & Gracious for a ride in her power chair around the property. Needless to say it was quite a ride. As she looked at the beds around the patio she exclaimed Oh My God!!! Then the tears, the laughing, the tears, more OMG and then the quivering in her chair. As we went around front, and the West side she couldn't believe all that was done in a few hours, neither could I for that matter. As you all know we strive and do a constant little cleanup to keep our place up to the way you normally see it. This year we watched as one bed and one bush after another turned into something we didn't even want to look at. This was clearly the best Fall cleanup Everrr!! As we went farther around and out to the back and looked at our house from the back of the pond there was more OMG, lots of crying tears of joy, quivering, and more OMGs!.

Then to the barn, she wailed a pretty good one there, OMG, and when she saw all that was done and how clean the floor was, more shaking. Then she saw the drill press and band saw, (her favorite old territory) and that's when the caterwauling started. Then she saw the gym equipment from the basement set up for her, more caterwauling now with wailings of how can we ever repay everyone?? Just keep being you and getting better was about all I could say.

For months now our minds have been literally paralyzed with fear and anxiety over the future, it seems were running a relentless gauntlet of menacing obstacles, and yet with God's love and the support of all of you, we continue to persevere. Saturday was the first time in 10 months that we were able to slip the tangled bonds of fear and spend several hours just being Ron & Jeri with friends. You didn't just clean our yard, you've cleansed our souls. Later on after dark I dumped a wheelbarrow of logs on the fire and spent a while with the Lord trying to figure out what we ever did to deserve such good friends as all of you. It occurred to me that the things we've gained, are of greater value than what we've lost. You've filled us to the depths of our souls with an overwhelming sensation of humble gratitude, the magnitude of which is beyond my ability to describe in words, I pray that in time it will show with deeds.

Through it all, we strive to do something each day that we couldn't do the day before. I get the joy of rediscovering my wife with each new sunrise.

Thank you all so very much for your support, we shall endeavor to not disappoint,

Ron & Jeri Draper

April 11, 2014

The Seven Wonders of the World

Read: Psalm 34 (especially 8-10)

A group of students were asked to list what they thought were the present “Seven Wonders of the World.” Though there were some disagreements, the following received the most votes:

1. Egypt’s Great Pyramids

2. Taj Mahal

3. Grand Canyon

4. Panama Canal

5. Empire State Building

6. St. Peter’s Basilica

7. China’s Great Wall

While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one student had not finished her paper yet. She asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list.

The girls replied, “Yes, a little. I couldn’t quite make up my mind because there were so many.”

The teacher said, “Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help.”

The girl hesitated, then read:

“I think the ‘Seven Wonders of the World’ are:

1. to See,

2. to Hear,

3. to Touch,

4. to Taste,

5. to Feel,

6. to Laugh, and

7. to Love.”

The room was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. The things we overlook as simple and ordinary ant that we take for granted are truly wondrous!

A gentle reminder that the most precious things in life cannot be built by hand nor bought by man.

Lois Leineke

April 10, 2014

Taken from Bluebird of Happiness (Heyman & Parr-Davies)

Read: Psalm 18:1-3, 25-28, 49-50

The poet with his pen
The peasant with his plow
It makes no difference who you are
It's all the same somehow.

The king upon his throne
The jester at his feet
The artist, the actress
The man on the street.

It's a life of smiles
And a life of tears
It's a life of hope
And a life of fears.

A blinding torrent of rain
And a brilliant burst of sun,
A biting, tearing pain
And bubbling, sparkling fun.

And no matter what you have
Don't envy those you meet,
It's all the same, it's in the game
The bitter and the sweet.

And if things don't look so cheerful
Just show a little fight,
For every bit of darkness
There's a little bit of light.

For every bit of hatred
There's a little bit of love.
For every cloudy morning
There's a midnight moon above.

Glenn DeLodder

April 09, 2014

Helping the Weak

In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” – Acts 20:35

In the course of our nearly 30-year marriage, Greg and I have enjoyed the companionship of four dogs. While each of them has shown great devotion to me – making a fuss when I get home, staying by my side when I’m sick, and so on – Greg clearly claims a slightly larger space in their doggy hearts.

They favor Greg despite the fact that, in every case, I’m the one who was responsible for them coming to live with us. I found Jerry, our abused lab/shepherd mix, in a newspaper ad. I nudged Greg to adopt Jessie, a hound/shepherd who was being fostered by a friend. I found Byron, our older Lab, at the Dearborn Animal Shelter through Petfinder.com and insisted that Greg go to the shelter to meet him.

And we adopted our younger Lab, Bernie, after I hauled Greg and Byron to the Dearborn Animal Shelter to meet a beagle. She hated Byron on the spot, and so did a second female dog that I asked to see. Greg and Byron were ready to leave, but I asked if they had anyone else, and they brought out Bernie (then Air Force), a big black Lab with an ugly open wound on his backside. After sniffing each other out, Bernie plopped down beside Byron, and they were fast friends.

Over the years, I have purchased most of the dog food, treats and toys. Yet when Greg and I come home together, they circle around Greg, tails wagging, barely acknowledging me.

Is it because they consider Greg the master of the house? Maybe, but if I think about it, Greg is the one who gets up early to walk them, and then feed them.

Where I’m inclined to send them to the backyard in rain or snow, Greg invariably walks them at least around the block. The dogs love exploring the neighborhood and checking out every bush and fire hydrant.

Greg honors their need for daily exercise and faithfully walks them day after day, week after week, year after year.

Kathy Gardner