Thursday, February 29, 2024

God Is Our Guide

Read Psalm 16:1-11

I remember back in October of 2021, walking a corn maze with Team Red White and Blue Grand Rapids (a nationwide Veteran group.) We followed the walled path; but when we neared what we thought was the exit, there was another wall. We had to back up and look for another way out. It was a bit difficult to reach the end, but with perseverance we reached the goal.

Life is like a maze. Many times, we ask God why certain things happen to us. We try to grasp difficult situations but are unable to understand them. We hurry here and there, looking for the right path. Obstacles stop us in our tracks, and we don’t understand why we must backtrack or even face those obstacles in the first place. It becomes crucial to allow God to guide us through the twisting and turning passageways of life so that we can find the path that will lead to the fullness of joy that only God can offer.

Prayer: Almighty God, show us the path that leads to the fullness of joy in you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Ben DeWitt

Wednesday, February 28, 2024

The Spirit Helps Us in Our Weakness

Read: Matthew11:25-30

For several years we went to Florida for the winter. We had one neighbor, Johnny, who lived four doors from us. He came with his parents from the Boston area.

When Johnny was born with Down Syndrome and a heart condition, his physician recommended he be put into an institution. His parents said, no, they would take care of him. His mother was a teacher, and put him in a special school where he learned to read and write, and later enjoyed art classes.

Johnny was friends with everyone, and every day would meet the mailperson and visit while they sorted the mail.

His mother would take him to the pool at dinner time, when the pool was nearly empty, and let him swim with two empty milk cartons, so he would not interfere with others.

The parents gave him a birthday party every year (no gifts, please) with a small band and pizza, salad, and cake. Of course, several gave him monetary gifts which he used to take his parents and friends to lunch at his favorite restaurant, McDonald’s.

One night last year he didn’t feel well, and asked his mother to sleep with him. The next morning he felt better, but that night she again slept with him. When she awoke that second morning, he was deceased. He was 61 years old.

Life gives us challenges, but God gives us the ability to handle them.

Sara Wooton

Tuesday, February 27, 2024

A Hymn of Promise, Verse 4

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. – Psalm 133:1

First, I must confess that the writing of a “simple” devotion creates anxiety for me. I am not blessed with creative writing ideas and skills. I tell myself that all I need is a simple story to share. Or I try to look at Bible verses and devotions and consider what life experiences I have had that would fit the thought. Other folks write lovely things that I appreciate and cherish. Personal frustration kicks in, so many years I just give up and write nothing. You would think I was a novelist with writer’s block.

That said, I came across a verse I wrote for Christopher and April (my son and daughter-in law) in 2017. It was sung by Chris’s aunt at their wedding celebration as an addition to the verses from the “Hymn of Promise.”

In a vow there is a promise,
In a lifetime a world to see.
With God’s love and assistance
In our lives, our hope will be.
Sharing all of it together,
What a glorious journey
Unrevealed until its season,
Something God alone can see.

Our GPUMC family shares this journey as well in so many ways. In the presence of God and with his guidance, together we worship, support each other in need, provide clothing, food, shelter, and funds to support disaster relief and the under-served, share the gift of reading, provide Christian education to our youth and adults through Sunday School, book studies, and VBS, as well as many fellowship groups (and so much more). We also stay connected on this journey through our newsletters, Facebook, and even YouTube for those who cannot be present. With God’s help what promises can we make in this Lenten season to share our journey of Christian love? What does God have planned for us next?

Prayer: Dear God,
With your guidance and in your time may we find ways to fulfill and share the promises we make to you, ourselves, and others. Amen.

Beth Blunden

Monday, February 26, 2024

An Unexpected Visit

"For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me. Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." – Matthew 25:35-40

He was standing just outside my office door. I didn't hear him come into the church and was startled when I did see him. He was dressed in his usual…black pants, t-shirt, and a black full-length overcoat. Most folks in the church didn't like the way he dressed. They said he scared them. Today there was something different about him though. His face was sad and he had tears running down his weathered cheeks. In his outstretched hands was a lifeless white dove. He held her with care as he tried to convey his desire for her. She was lying on the sidewalk in front of him down the street, and the one place he chose to come with her was to church.

Please allow me to expound before I go on. We'll call him Larry for the sake of confidentiality. Larry was unhoused, and had been for a very long time. How long I'm not sure, but his tan, leathery skin from exposure to the South Florida sun indicated it had been years. Larry also lived with some sort of mental health illness (another one of his features that people were scared of). He usually had a skewed expression and was very quiet.

I asked him how I could help him as he stood before me with the departed avian. Larry wanted to give her a proper burial. I agreed, jumped up out of my chair and walked with him to the food pantry. I don't know why I went into the food pantry. Perhaps to find an empty container with which we could dig a hole. As soon as I opened the door, on the shelf right in front of us, was a beach pail and shovel. We walked to the back of our building, dug a hole in the dirt, and he placed her in ever so gently. I said a prayer, he said a prayer, and we closed the funeral for our friend.

We are called to serve others. The church is supposed to be a place where we help others with a joyful spirit. Let us continue to help one another, love one another, care for one another, pray for one another, encourage one another, and support one another. Let's do that for each other, and for those outside our walls.

Leslie Rutland-Tipton

Sunday, February 25, 2024

Offering Kindness

Remember this saying, “A few seeds make a small harvest, but a lot of seeds make a big harvest.” - 2 Corinthians 9:6

Timmy was a sweet tempered boy with cognitive impairments in my second grade classroom. He came from a very poor family with many brothers and sisters. He tried hard to fit in with the other children but his over-sized shoes and tattered clothing made him stand out as different. Many local agencies tried to support his family but it was a challenge to make gains.

Just before Christmas break, I was opening gifts from the students and opened a package that was clearly wrapped by a child – without tape, and the gift wrap scrunched around the contents. It was a partially used bottle of perfume and it was from Timmy. A few children started to snicker. I immediately spritzed some on my wrists and raved about how beautiful it smelled. Timmy beamed and the class thankfully quieted. One boy even commented, “That’s nice Timmy. It smells good.” It was a gift from the heart and it touched me to think of his “quest” to find something for his teacher.

My response was no different from thousands of teachers who try to level the playing field between children who have and those who do not. But outside the classroom, how often do we miss opportunities to offer kindness to strangers? Do we turn a blind eye to someone who seems to be of a lesser standing, lack social graces, or appear “different?” How glorious it is to think of the teachings of Jesus in every day life: his love of the downtrodden, sick, and marginalized! During this time of Lenten reflection, may we seek ways to offer kindness in a world where it is lacking.

Prayer: Dear God, make us mindful of all who need our love. Give us the focus to be aware of the needs of others no matter how small. Help us find ways to show your kindness and caring to others and may we strive to always live as you would have us live. Amen.

Marcia Wright

Saturday, February 24, 2024

In the Spirit of John Wesley

Read: Isaiah 55:6-9

Well Charlie, ya know, me bein’ me, I wanted to be the first to submit a Devotion written by an AI-Chatbot. For those who don’t yet know, that’s a computer with artificial intelligence, you can talk to it, and it’ll respond like a person. At first, I really didn’t like the idea of these things, they’ve been the Holy Grail of computer engineering since at least the 1970’s and now they’re here. Our oldest however, told me I better get on the bandwagon. Dave’s a genius and a senior engineer. He consults the wealthiest people in the world on how to solve their unique problems, because nobody else can. Over Christmas he got me going on this AI thing. Dave told me that he’s been using it to do a lot of his engineering work for a year now, and that in a few more years, most of the people in his field of engineering will be obsolete. He’s thinking his later career will not be engineering but teaching the remaining few how to use a robot to do engineering. Our oldest granddaughter, (The Golden Child😊😊) who is an even higher-level genius, has been using this thing to help with her college work for a couple years now, and the colleges welcome it. Incidentally, last June she graduated High School. 2 weeks after, she graduated her first degree in College😊😊. The volume of college work she gets done now with AI is astronomical.

I’ve been playing with it for a few weeks since they were all here at Christmas and I gotta tell ya, I’ve used it to teach myself how to do things I’ve always wanted to learn but just didn’t get to. It taught me things in a few minutes that would have taken me days to figure out on my own. I’ve gained skills in a very short time. It’s kinda cool. Problem is, so far, everything it's taught me is a commercially valuable skill, someone’s job, something a person could make a good living doing, but now they’re all things a robot can do for next to nothing. I’m just doing them for fun.

Soooooooo, when I got my much anticipated, eagerly awaited, annual request from Charlie, I thought, hmmmmm, let’s give it to the Robot and see what it can do. On a whim early one morning, I just gave it the instruction you see after “Ron” below. The result it gave me is the part after “ChatGPT” below.

 

Ron:
I need a devotional in the Methodist spirit of John Wesley. Something about our robotic world, a couple paragraphs will do.

ChatGPT:
In the spirit of John Wesley and the Methodist tradition, let us reflect on our increasingly robotic world. Just as Wesley emphasized the importance of connecting with God through intentional living and disciplined practices, we too can find spiritual meaning in the midst of technology.

In our modern age, where machines and algorithms seem to govern much of our daily lives, it becomes crucial to discern how we can maintain a deep and meaningful connection with our faith. Just as Wesley urged his followers to avoid complacency and seek genuine encounters with God, we can challenge ourselves to use technology in ways that align with our spiritual values.

Rather than succumbing to the automation of our existence, let us employ these tools as instruments for positive change and connection. In a world dominated by screens and artificial intelligence, may we strive to keep our hearts open to the divine presence, remembering Wesley's emphasis on personal and social holiness. As we navigate the complexities of our robotic world, let our actions be guided by love, compassion, and a commitment to building a more just and humane society.

End of ChatGPT output.

It did this in less than 4 seconds! I don’t know what my grandkids are gonna be doin’ for income when they grow up, but right now I’m thinkin’ it’s gonna be a lot more like what my grandparents did. Hmmmmm, now there’s seed for a whole new devotional, wonder if I should write it myself, or just let the robot do it...:)😊😊

Have a great day everybody,

Ron Draper

Friday, February 23, 2024

Walking Through the Valley

But Ruth said, “Do not press me to leave you or to turn back from following you! Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die—there I will be buried. May the LORD do thus and so to me, and more as well, if even death parts me from you!” When Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more to her. – Ruth 1:16-18 NRSV Bible

Ruth the Moabitess is the great grandmother of King David. She is a model of faithfulness in the midst of great tragedy. At the lowest point of the valley of the shadow of death for her and her mother-in-law Naomi, she speaks these words. Naomi’s husband has died in Moab, as had Naomi’s two sons, one who was husband to Ruth. These two women are left with no land and family. Naomi encourages Ruth to go back to her family, but she refuses to leave Naomi to face the future alone.

Imagine that: she is willing to walk the valley of the shadow of death with Naomi, rather than go back to her family. This is such a powerful example of the love of God at work within her. Her resilience, courage, and strength will carry them back to Bethlehem. It is a love that honors and trusts God’s faithfulness, whether the Lord gives or takes away. Ruth is honored as one of Jesus’ ancestors in Matthew’s genealogy. Being reminded of Ruth’s story, who has shown you God’s faithfulness in your life? Who willingly walked with you through the valley of the shadows? Who may need your companionship as they make their way through the valley of shadows this Lent season?

Prayer: God, thank you for the Ruths within our lives. Thank you for the men and women who have walked through the valley of shadows with us. Their presence was a sign of your faithfulness and love. Because of them and you, we never lost our way among the shadows and deep darkness. May we, like Ruth, walk with others who find themselves in such a valley at this time. Amen.

Rev. David Eardley

Thursday, February 22, 2024

God Is With Us

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:6-7

In January, our grandson was involved in an accident and was hospitalized. Immediately we had questions that, because he’s in college out of town, couldn’t be immediately answered. Our anxiety, however, was immediate. The news spread through our family, our friends, and our church family. Many people said they were praying for him and for our family.

The very next day at choir practice we started working on a piece titled “God is With Us.” It’s a gentle chant that reminds us that God is always there. As we sang those words, it occurred to me they gave us assurance that all those prayers were being heard. It was exactly what we needed to hear, and it came at the time we most needed that assurance.

Thankfully, prayers are being answered. He has a long way to go but, as I write these words, he is slowly improving. Thank you, Lord, for hearing our prayers.

Fred Van de Putte

Wednesday, February 21, 2024

The Mourner’s Path

After Charlie's announcement that Lent will be coming up quickly this year, I re-read my devotional from last year through tears, but also joy. Not much has changed in my feeling about the church and its support during my season of grief after the sudden loss of my mom at the beginning of January 2023.

What did change is the deep shock and grief I have felt over the sudden and tragic loss of several of our beautiful young adults in our close-knit community this past year.

I again turned to GPUMC and its staff and members who were sharing in my anger and my deep sadness, and I learned that the only way to be free of those unbearable days was to "turn it over to God."

I also attended a workshop in December with our pastor, David, and fellow Stephen Minister, Carolyn Barth, called the mourner's path at Christ Episcopal Church in Grosse Pointe. The central theme of this Christ-centered ministry is that inviting Christ to be a part of the pain is central to your healing, so that you can transform your grief into joyful living.

I have also spent this year traveling the mourner's path thinking, dreaming, and reading about Heaven.

Pastor Greg Laurie, whose journey to Christ was told in the wonderful movie, “Jesus Revolution,” has a new book called “As it Is in Heaven.” In it he says "Heaven is a real place where real people do real things. The Bible says that Heaven is a city, a country, and a paradise. And we can eat there too. In fact the first thing you can do is have a feast!"

One of my favorite Bible passages is John 14, where Jesus is preparing his disciples for his departure to the Father. I read it at the beautiful memorial service at church for my dear friend, Julie Froggett, in 2019, and also had the honor to read it at the small service I had for my beloved mom, Dee Allison, on February 3rd, 2023:

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house there are many dwelling-places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going." – John 14 1-4

Our mourner's path is very real and deeply personal, but is also meant to be shared with our fellow humans who are grieving, and are looking for a path to joyful living.

I am so looking forward to sharing in the hope and joy of this new season of Lent at GPUMC, with both friends on Earth and friends in Heaven.

Amy Sanford

Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Reconnecting …

Read: Psalm 133

An amazing thing happened this past Christmas Day. I was driving with Sue and our two rescue dogs that morning to spend the Day and overnight with our daughter Katrina and her family in Mt. Pleasant. It was an easy drive, especially with our new SUV that we bought in order to accommodate our dual canine experience. I think our two grandchildren were just as excited about the two dogs visiting as they were about Nana and Papa.

The amazing thing was how the special Day touched me in a way, starting to resolve a long ongoing family estrangement. I had just learned earlier in the week that my oldest brother on the East Coast had been ill for over a month and had lost 40 pounds, due to being unable to eat regular food. Doctors had been incapable of finding the root cause.

I looked over at Sue and said, “Now is the time to reach out and make the link that had been needed for a long time.” With the vehicle’s microphone and speaker working, the call was connected and a modest, yet important conversation and tie was made.

The conversation did not last long, and what you would expect from a normal caring conversation (on both sides) was an important step in helping him know his brother was offering some relationship again.

As of this writing, finally an initial diagnosis was that some arteries around the stomach were blocked and did not allow the stomach to function normally.

So, not only did the Christ Child’s birthday create a sensation, it also inspired my life to begin healing the relationship.

David DeWitt

Monday, February 19, 2024

There Will be Rejoicing in Cleveland!

Read: Luke 15:1-10

(It looks like I’m channeling my inner Sue DeWitt – here’s another dog-related devotion.)

Billie and I were walking on one of our normal routes, heading into Grosse Pointe Park down Charlevoix, when I kicked something with my right foot. I didn’t see anything on the sidewalk, so we just kept going.
After our three miles or so, having gone down to Jefferson along Three Mile Drive (Five Kilometre Drive I like to call it), and then back home up Cadieux, I realized that my keys weren’t in my jacket pocket.

I like old things, and I was wearing one. It was my Grandpa’s old jacket, and I discovered that I could put my hand through the bottom of the pocket – a new development, as far as I knew (and, as I said, I like old things).

Fortunately, Heidi was home to let us in, and once Billie was having her dinner, I headed out to seek my keys; but which way to go? Should I reverse my route, assuming it happened late? I started that way; but as I waited for the light to change at Cadieux, I changed my mind and continued along Charlevoix … wait a minute, I kicked something along here! Back and forth I went, looking in the grass on either side, under the bushes here and there, over and over … but to no avail. I started wondering what I needed to do about the lost keys (my house, car, bike, and church keys were all on that ring!). Then, a black SUV drove by, very slowly, and the driver rolled down his window and asked, “are you looking for a set of keys?”

Imagine my relief – and his – when he told me he had been driving back and forth, looking for someone who looked to be looking for something, and that he had been about to give up and try to figure out what to do with the keys he had found (my keys!). So, there was rejoicing on Charlevoix and back home at Cleveland, thanks to the kindness of a stranger who was acting as a neighbor to me. (For extra credit, read Luke 10:25-37.)

Prayer: Father, thank you for our neighbors; help us to be good neighbors to all. Amen.

Charlie van Becelaere

Sunday, February 18, 2024

The Gift of the Day

"This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." – Psalm 118:24

I’m not much of a football fan. I don’t know the goalie from the first baseman and I rarely understand how they score when they get the ball into the net. You get the idea.

But I have loved checking into various Lions games this season and appreciating the happiness that these victories have delivered for so many.

My favorite moment came after the Lions won the game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on January 21.

Aidan Hutchinson – honestly a player whose name was completely unknown to me until this year – stood apart from all of his teammates after that victory and just seemed to absorb all of the joy of the moment. Crazy delirium was swirling all around him, and Hutchinson just stopped. He seemed to be just taking deep breaths and soaking up all of the happiness around him.

There’s a lesson in that for all of us. Life is crazy, and we can be overwhelmed by it on almost any day. Or we can choose to pause. We can choose to give ourselves a break. We can choose to step back and smell the proverbial roses. We can choose.

I have no idea whether Aidan Hutchinson is a man of faith, but, in that moment, I could see that he was a man who chose to be grateful for an experience that was enveloping him and that he knew was probably fleeting.

Prayer: Lord, please help us to be grateful for the many miracles, big and small, in our lives. Help us to pause and appreciate the gift of every day, whether it brings a big victory or merely the routine of everyday life. Amen.

Joan Richardson

Saturday, February 17, 2024

Life Is Complicated

Or is it?

I asked that question because I know it is. Life is complicated.

For me, my “go-to” – once I recognized it for the power it truly is – is simple. It was there all along. Life had grown around it; ballooning into so much to do, too much to handle, too big to be seen anymore, “normalized” if you will. It’s funny how once we “normalize” things they sort of disappear and fade away.

It’s pretty much a guarantee that for three brief moments on Sunday during worship we will stop what we’re busying ourselves with, (conversation, iPhones, whatever) stand up and all be together in unison. Everybody is called to do the same thing – regardless of where you are in life, what you do, children and adults, your profession, your stature, your age, your ability – no judgment – everyone is tasked with the same simple assignment – sing. Yes, It’s that simple. UMH #127, UMH #196 and UMH #334. Ah! We know what those references refer to. The Hymnal – that often-overlooked resource sitting right in front of us in the pews. Sometimes taken for granted or “normalized.” Those prayers set to music . . . those moments of community with all of us standing and singing out in church or even at home, the quiet solitude of playing them alone at the piano or just opening the Hymnal and reading the text – these are my best “go-to” moments.

Sometimes it’s just this simple (UMH #191)

Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so . . .
Jesus loves me this I know as he loved so long ago . . .
Jesus loves me still today walking with me on my way
Wanting as a friend to give light and love to all who live!
Yes, Jesus loves me, Yes Jesus loves me . . .

Thanks be to God – Amen!

Bill Kremer

Friday, February 16, 2024

Contagious

Contagious is defined as: “1. spread from one person to another by direct or indirect contact and 2. likely to spread to and affect others”

We know about contagious in the context of a cold or flu or COVID, and we’ve heard of super spreader events when a whole group of persons become ill because they attended a social event with a person who was contagious. Personally, I know about contagious as my grand boys shared pink-eye with me. It just takes a little togetherness and poof! you’re unwell.

Having been contagious got me thinking about how there might be a positive spin on being contagious. Posing the question are we Christians contagious? Are people catching the Gospel from us?

We are called to go into all the world and make disciples:

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” – Matthew 28:18-20

and Paul reminds us:

Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable; it keeps no record of wrongs; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. – 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

However, if the love we have is harbored in selfishness, or arrogance, or a belief that you must worship my way only, or an attitude of it’s just me and Jesus against the world, how can we be contagious Christians? An article I read recently in The Lewis Center said 40% of the people who do not attend a church but still believe in God said the reason they don’t go to church is because of a bad event or bad experience in church that made them dislike “church people.”

So, this Lent season, I encourage us to be contagious Christians. Allow the love of God: Father, Son, and Spirit bubble up out of us and spread to others so that they too may be affected by this wonderful, gracious, loving God we serve.

May we in this body of Christ be super spreaders of the Gospel.

Blessings on your journey,

Pastor Pam Wells, CGMC

Thursday, February 15, 2024

Sing to the Lord

Sing to the Lord all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness. Come before his presence with singing. – Psalm 100

I’d like to say a quick word about our wonderful choir director. All of us, especially the choir, cried long and hard when Pat Greenwell passed. She was a truly gifted, experienced choral director. Together with Charles, they were an unbeatable pair.

But fast forward one year and Giustino agreed to lead our choir. And since then we have been singing some new pieces and arrangements. And we have been singing familiar pieces but in a new way. We are looking at choir with fresh eyes. And he pulls out the best from us. Our 1½ hours each Thursday night are packed with wonderful insights into singing a piece and how to sing to sound the best. We’re looking at music from the point of view of a tuba player-opera singer. Now that’s unique.

Giustino even brings Marge, his beagle, sometimes. She cruises the choir room giving us the side-eye and sleeps under Doug’s piano. And no howling at wrong notes. Now that’s my kind of dog. To be honest, at 7:45 pm my circadian rhythms are in free-fall – I’m not feeling like starting something new. But choir is true joy. And we are always learning something new.

Many thanks, Giustino

Vivian Anderson

Ash Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Ashes and Chocolate

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. –John 3:16-17 NRSV Bible

Also read: UMH 480

Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day. It is not too often that these two events are celebrated on the same day. A holy day and a holiday sharing the same 24 hours. Ashes and chocolate… Penitence and proclamations of love… Fasting and feasting… How might we mark the beginning of the Lenten journey while the world dresses in red and celebrates romance? Actually, we do so by remembering that God’s love, as lived by Jesus, grounds us on these 40 days of prayer and preparation for the celebration of Easter.

It is love, God’s self-giving love, that sets Jesus’ heart and feet toward Jerusalem. This is a love that will never let us go. It is a love that will die so that we might live. It is a love that is ever-present, within us and around us. It is a love that is available to everyone. Yes, friends, in the vernacular of the holiday, we are God’s valentines, but not just for a day but for all eternity.

So, with ashes, fasting, prayer, reflection, and worship we mark this first day of the Lenten journey. Love and Be loved. It is the way of Jesus, and it is our way as well.

Prayer: Jesus, thank you for loving us as we are. Thank you for loving so much that you would set your heart toward Jerusalem and never look back. Be with us on this Lenten journey. Meet us and speak to us through these daily devotions. And may the world see you and your love in us. Amen.

Rev. David Eardley

Lent 2024 - Introduction

Welcome back to Lent! As always, it has been my honor and joy to edit this book (my 26^th as editor and 27^th as a contributor!); and once again, you came through for me – and for each other! Not only did I have enough devotions to cover the forty days, I could even cover every day – including Sundays – with original devotions! (In fact, I had to double up on one day with a couple of shorter entries – how amazing is that?!)

We have devotions from some new writers and new members to go along with many of our long-time stalwarts, a few from our friends at College Grove Methodist Church, and even a possibly-chilling entry from a long-time contributor who attends worship online from Florida. It really was great to have so many new voices share their thoughts, time, insights, and witness with our church family as we make our slow but sure journey toward the glory of Easter Sunday.

As it often happens, some themes seemed to emerge as I collected and arranged the contributions. This year there was a lot of meditation on neighbors, fellowship, and service. As I’m putting this together during Shelter Week, that seems much more than fitting. In fact, it seems as though we’ve been led to share thoughts that will help us all live and love like Jesus: not just in the church building, not just in our congregation, but out in the wide world – where His Love and Life are needed perhaps more than ever. As St. Francis of Assisi told us, “Preach the Gospel at all times. When necessary, use words.”

It’s pretty amazing how these “themes” appear each year (of course, the Holy Spirit prompts us to write on what we and our readers will need!), and I am somewhat awestruck when they appear each year.

Now, as we have each year since reviving this Lenten tradition, we repeat the introduction from our congregation's first book of devotions, published in 1974:

Keeping a true Lent requires us to be vigilant in many ways: in prayer, study, worship, sacrifice, giving, meditation, and fellowship.
One or all may take precedence, depending upon our daily commitments.
From these devotions, lovingly prepared, may you find a well spring of faith to renew and sustain you, so that the Glorious Triumph that is Easter will remain with you always.

The Lenten Committee

Again, we can but say, “Amen.” (and “Wow, was it really fifty years ago?!”)

Charlie van Becelaere, Editor