Week of June 6, 2010
Helen L.

In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
John 1:1

I record for the NJ State Library Talking Book & Braille Center (the same for which we collect Campbell Soup labels). For at least one hour each week I read the front page news, editorials and obituaries from local area newspapers. Sometimes even a little Dear Abby and Dr. Gott. We are encouraged to speak clearly, as in a conversation or as we would if we had our own radio program. Basically, speak with clarity. Each word is very important to these listeners. They don't have an option to be selective until they have heard it all.

Is reading the newspaper different than reading scriptures? When I read a newspaper for my own benefit, it's speed reading at its best. The recording experience has given me a greater appreciation for the individual words and has caused me to reconsider my reading style, especially when I read scriptures.

I try to listen to myself and read every word. But there are times even when I read or recite the Lord's Prayer or some other familiar selection when I hardly remember what I have said. Whoops, speed reading again?

I may stumble along, but suddenly encounter the phrase "THE WORD". Not any old word:

   "THE WORD"
The WORD of the Lord -
The WORD was God -
The WORD was with God -
The WORD is God.
And in many other variations.
 
As if to say - slow down - this is important.
    Breaking news? A command ? A plea ?
    An announcement ? A promise ?
    Maybe all of the above.
Again I am reminded that every word is important,
but in this case, "THE WORD" is the message.

And as I read, I pause and listen to the ever challenging words of God.

It never changes...I do...and I read on...with clarity and understanding as my goal.

Gracious God, Open our eyes and mind to your WORD that we may share your message of love and encouragement. Amen.

Week of June 13, 2010
Linda M.

Passing By...

I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.    John 13:34-35

Earlier this spring, a surveillance video showed an unidentified woman, walking down 144th Street in Queens with her cell phone in hand until, as she walks under a protective scaffolding next to a building, a man is seen following her. At 5:40 a.m. that man accosted the woman under the scaffolding. He might have killed her if not for a Good Samaritan, Hugo Alfredo Tale-Yax broke it up, and got stabbed in the torso several times in the process. Bleeding, her rescuer continued chasing the assailant up the street until he collapsed, face-down, on the sidewalk. The woman ran off in the opposite direction. Mr. Tale-Yax lay on the sidewalk almost two hours before someone called 911, but, it was too late. Mr. Tale-Yax was a 31 year old immigrant from Guatemala, who had fallen on hard times. He had been eking out a living working odd jobs, but he was recently out of work and lost his home in Queens.
 
Nonetheless, he died a hero. No one even thanked him, and that is sad enough. Worse yet, the video revealed a parade of people passing him by as he lay there dying. Some didn't even give him a second look. Some stopped and gawked, then walked on. One man shook him before walking away. One man started to roll him over, but when he saw the blood, also walked away. One person even took a picture with his cell phone before walking away.
 
Mr. Tale-Yax was certainly a Good Samaritan, but to me, this story is more about those who passed him by, especially as these devotions are intended to explore ways of living out our faith day to day, out there on the sidewalks of our lives.
 
In the unlikely scenario that we would encounter a homeless man lying face-down on our suburban sidewalks, bleeding to death, I have no doubt that at the very least, we would call 911. But, before we pat ourselves on the back, I ponder, "Who am I passing by?" I pass by Mexican immigrants in the Acme lot looking for work. I pass by people laden with grocery bags walking home because they don't have a car. I pass by who knows how many people who are grieving the loss of a loved one, unemployed, battling cancer, going through a painful divorce or custody battle. They may not be lying face-down on the sidewalk, but there they are, the walking wounded. Their minds are really somewhere else. We're surrounded by them at work, at church, and in our neighborhoods. Sometimes God places one of them right in our own little circle, and we get the chance to share the healing and hope of Christ Jesus with them. But if they don't land in our own little circle, we tend to see them in the stores or on the street and dismiss them as cranky, or rude, or bad drivers, when maybe, their wounds, like Mr.Tale-Yaxs', are hidden to us as we are passing by.

Lord, You command us to love one another, even as you have first loved us. Teach us how to love all our neighbors, especially those we find hardest to love. Give us your vision to see one another's wounds and grant us the courage to offer your healing and hope, in deed and in prayer. Amen.

Week of June 20, 2010
Richard G.

One of the last classes I took at Rider University before graduating in 2008 was a class called Leadership. In that class, the professor taught that the first rule of leadership is to first lead yourself. Then, motivate yourself to make a difference in this world; MAD. You make a difference by helping (serving is also a form of leading) others grow. If there isn't growth, there isn't leadership.
 
As Christians, our strongest testimony for God is a reflection of God's love in our lives. Above all else, we are called to love. In order for us to love in this manner, we must allow Jesus' love to flow through us. Love can do no good if it is kept bottled up; it is meant to be shared and poured out on every area of our life. In the bottle, love grows stale and stagnant. Poured out, it becomes a living, thriving light that draws people to God. Poured out, we will make a difference.
 
There will be setbacks in our attempt to make a difference. There are many things in this life that will distract, frustrate, hurt, and irritate us. To get past these times, spend quiet time with our Savior through his Word, learning to understand His heart and being a vessel of His love. We may be mistreated, but as Jesus Christ said while hanging on the cross, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." He was the greatest example of love - can we do any less?
 
God's kind of love must start within our heart and then our home. It can then be carried into our community and congregation by what we do for others; making a difference. He has called us to lead -- to Make a Difference!

Dear Heavenly Father: Thank you for loving so much that you sent your son Jesus to die for our sins. He taught us to love and serve our brothers and sisters and how to make a difference. Continue to fill our hearts with love. May it pour out to those we meet and make a difference! In Jesus' name, Amen.

Week of June 27, 2010
Pastor Becky

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
    and your dominion endures throughout all generations.
 
The LORD is faithful in all his words,
    and gracious in all his deeds.
 
The LORD upholds all who are falling,
    and raises up all who are bowed down.
      Psalm 145:13-14

   This past weekend a group of worshippers from Abiding Presence gathered to run and walk in a 5K with proceeds going toward cancer research and support for cancer survivors. Since registration was on a Sunday morning, we gathered for worship outdoors at the run registration. One of the readings for that day was from Psalm 145 and included the verses above. These verses seemed particularly appropriate for a worship service where we gathered to praise God (like we do every Sunday that we gather) but also where we prayed for those with cancer and those whose lives are dedicated to cancer care and research.
 
   This psalm is a song and prayer of hope and of praise. Hope because of the proclamation that the Lord upholds those who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down. Like branches on tree heavy under the snow, straining and pressed down, we become bowed down. This psalm is a comforting message for those of us who are falling and bowed down. And let's be honest, we all have falling and bowed down moments in our lives-- some small stumbles and some falling off cliff moments. As we confess, there are things we do and things we fail to do and there are bowed down moments like cancer that happens regardless of what we do. Yet in these falling and bowed down moments, we hear the proclamation that God is faithful, gracious, everlasting, uplifting.
 
   This psalm is also a psalm of praise and when praying the whole psalm that is pretty hard to miss. The psalm is filled with images and declarations of who God is and what God has--great, mighty, majestic, abundant goodness, righteous, gracious, merciful, steadfast love, good to all, compassionate, near when we call and this is only the tip of the lists upon lists of who God is and who God is toward all of the world. This is only some of the descriptions of who God is in this psalm alone. There is layer upon layer of praise and thanksgiving.
 
   When we pray or sing a psalm today, our voices are lifted up with people around the world who also are praying and singing them and our voics are lifted up with those of other proclaimers who have been praying the psalms over thousands of years. Jesus prayed these psalms. People will come after us and pray these psalms of hope and praise. All of us, in the midst of our falling and being bowed down, are assured of the proclamation that the Lord is upholding each of us and that God is faithful in words and deeds.

Faithful God, we thank you for reaching out to us in compassion and love. Help us to feel your upholding presence even in the midst of the small stumbles and large falls of life. With the whole church, give us joy to sing out in praise of you. Amen.

 
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Running in Faithis a personal interpretation of scripture, written in faith, by members of Abiding Presence Lutheran Church Lutheran Church to help readers take their Sunday faith into their weekday lives. Each Devotion represents the personal opinion of the author and does not necessarily represent Abiding Presence Lutheran Church. Permission is granted to link to this page and to use the Devotions for personal, non-commercial purposes only.