Day 33: Friday, April 7, 2017, #Lent Devotion

Posted on Apr 7, 2017 in BLOG, Devotions |

Day 33, Friday, April 7, 2017
Rev. Sela Finau
Companionship
Scripture: Luke 24:13-15, 28-29 13 Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles[a] from Jerusalem, 14 and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15 While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them.
 
28 As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. 29 But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them.
 
Devotional: There are times when we all long for the companionship of Christ. When we are facing some deep loneliness that seems to darken the brightest day, some great sorrow that has broken our heart and changed our lives, or some heavy burden that comes through no action or fault of our own. At times like these we long for the presence of the one who speaks our name, understand our plight, and can break the hold of loneliness, sorrow, despair, and burdens we bear.
 
There are other times when we are at the peak of our powers and all is going well that we want someone to walk with us, to share the challenge, excitement, and reward of the path we have chosen. We desire a companion who can appreciate the challenge and victory of life in the days when all is well.
 
There are still other times when we need a companion to whom we can say thank you. There are those times when we are overwhelmed with gratitude. We know that the goodness we enjoy is not just the result of our good work but that someone else had a hand in our well-being, comfort, and success.
 
At times like these it is good to remember that the risen Christ walks beside us—awaiting our invitation to stay with us, break bread with us, interpret life for us, give us hope, and share in our thanksgiving.
 
As we continue with our walk this Lenten Season, may we, like the disciples before us, have our eyes opened to recognize Christ as he comes to walk beside us this day.
 
Prayer: Oh God, forgive us when we fail to recognize you, when we fail to recognize you in others. Continue to walk with us and help us to see. Amen
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Day 32: Thursday, April 6, 2017, #Lent Devotion

Posted on Apr 6, 2017 in BLOG, Devotions | Tags: ,

Day 32, Thursday, April 6, 2017
Rev. Sela Finau
Gray
Scripture: Psalm 39:7 “And now, O Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in you.”
Proverbs 16:31 “Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.”

Devotional: Growing up, I was privileged to always be surrounded by older folks, including my grandmother, Ana, and numerous aunts and uncles, and then my parents. I remember as they got older, they often dealt with aches and pains of old age.

The years flew by for this older generation as they continued to deal with health issues, and not being able to get around quite as easily as before. They were suddenly faced with their own mortality. On Ash Wednesday, we were all confronted with our own mortality, remembering that, “we are dust, and to dust we shall return.”

What does God expect from people of this older generation? What do they expect from God? What do we expect from God and what’s expected of us? The truth is, no matter how gray our hair gets, God always sees us as a child. God sees our potential and possibilities until the day we die. God walks with us every step of the way, even when we don’t walk and move as fast as we did twenty or thirty years ago.

The gift of aging is the one called life. We have the opportunity to grow in awareness, wisdom, and experience. We have learned things that others need to know and God gives us the chance to share those things with those around us. May we share our hopes, dreams, fear, and love with others. May we share our wisdom and experiences with those around us. May we share our God stories with all those that we encounter.

In this season of Lent, remember that age is a number that reflects the number of years that God has blessed and gifted us life. May we share our life stories with others. May we remember these words from Proverbs 16:31 “Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.”

Prayer: Dear God, as we age, we may experience fear, loneliness, and other emotions, help us to remember that we are never alone but that you knew us before we were born, knows us by name, and you will continue to be with us until you call us home. Amen

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Day 31: Wednesday, April 5, 2017, #Lent Devotion

Posted on Apr 5, 2017 in BLOG, Devotions |

Day 31, Wednesday, April 5, 2017
Debby Vester
 
What Wondrous Love Is This
 
Scripture: Anyone who is hung on a tree is under God’s curse. (Deuteronomy 21:23)
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13)
Not father or mother has loved you as God has, for it was that you might be happy He gave His only Son. When He bowed His head in the death hour, love solemnized its triumph; the sacrifice there was complete. –Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
 
Devotion: This beloved hymn, with its plaintive modal sound, is one of the best known of our authentic American folk hymns. Like all true folk music, the origins of this text and music remain unknown. It is simply the product of devout people who, when reflecting seriously on the sacrificial gift of God’s Son, respond spontaneously with amazed adoration for this “wondrous love.”
 
One typical folk hymn characteristic found in these words is the repetition of key phrases such as “O my soul” and “I’ll sing on.” Since folk music is generally learned aurally without the assistance of the printed page or musical notation, such repetition is necessary. Note also how effectively the curving melodic lines enhance the thought and personal application of the words.
 
The hymn first appeared in 1835 in a collection titled William Walkers’s Southern Harmony. These simply stated words with their appealing music have since ministered to people everywhere, extolling the profound truth of Christ’s love for each of us. Allow the hymn to move you to awe even now.
 
What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul, what wondrous love is this, O my soul! What wondrous love is this that caused the Lord of bliss to bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul, to bear the dreadful curse for my soul.
 
What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul, what wondrous love is this, O my soul! What wondrous love is this that caused the Lord of life to lay aside his crown for my soul, for my soul, to lay aside his crown for my soul.
 
To God and to the Lamb I will sing, I will sing, to God and to the Lamb, I will sing; to God and to the Lamb who is the great I AM, while millions join the theme I will sing, I will sing; while millions join the theme I will sing.
 
And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on, and when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on; and when from death I’m free, I’ll sing and joyful be, and through eternity I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on, and through eternity I’ll sing on.
 
Prayer: Dear Lord, during this season of Lent, let me take time to reflect once again on the wondrous love of Christ. Help me to share His wondrous love with another. Amen.
 
This devotional was first printed in “Amazing Grace: 366 Hymn Stories for Daily Devotionals” written by Kenneth W. Osbeck
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Day 30: Tuesday, April 4, 2017, #Lent Devotion

Posted on Apr 4, 2017 in BLOG, Devotions | Tags: , , ,

Day 30: Tuesday, April 4, 2017
Rev. Sela Finau

Destination?

Scripture: John 14:5 (NRSV) Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
 
Devotion: Many of us know the story of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. We remember Alice’s conversation with the Cheshire Cat during her journey through Wonderland. When Alice came to a fork in the road, she asked, “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?” The Cat replied, “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.” Alice said, “I don’t much care where.” The Cat replied, “Then it doesn’t matter which way you go.”
Do you know where you are? Do you have a sense of direction of where you are going? Are you lost and cannot find your way? When we know where we are and where we are going, it makes a big difference how we get there and when to get there. We may not be on the same exact path, but it makes a difference that we know where we are heading. Jesus told his disciples to, “Follow me!” Like them, we want to follow. But if we are honest with ourselves, we often feel like Thomas, who said, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”
 
Our destination as disciples who are on Jesus’ path is a life centered in loving God and loving others. Are you on this path? If not, what changes do you need to make to get on this path? During our journey in the season of Lent, will you ask God to help you get on this path? Trust, follow, and ask God to be your guide and vision.
 
The following is the first stanza from “Be Thou My Vision.”
“Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art
Thou my best thought by day or by night
Waking or sleeping Thy presence my light”
-Eleanor Hull
 
Prayer: Gracious God, when we are lost and can’t find our way, help us to see and be our vision the rest of the way. Amen
 
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Day 29: Monday, April 3, 2017, #Lent Devotion

Posted on Apr 3, 2017 in BLOG, Devotions |

Week 6

Day 29: Monday, April 3, 2017
Rev. Sela Finau
Fasting
 
Scripture: Daniel 9:3 (NRSV) Then I turned to the Lord God, to seek an answer by prayer and supplication with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.
 
Devotion: It has been said that regular fasting at its most basic level may well be the most effective way to deal with all the appetites and pressures that rule us. So many saints throughout history have practiced fasting religiously. Combined with prayer, it is a critical means of making ourselves available to the cleansing, restoring, and empowering grace of God.
Growing up, I often witnessed my mom and aunts carry on this tradition. Although I would be invited to participate, I never took it seriously and don’t recall taking part (at least not to their knowledge). It would be later in my seminary life that I was taught the importance of fasting.
 
While fasting is not all there is to a Christian life, it creates enough space in us so that God can engage us. The most popular fasting is abstinence from food, but this alone cannot be experienced as spiritual until it can be joined with the sense of acknowledging God’s love and responding by loving others. Fasting is not primarily a discipline through which we gain greater control over our life, but one through which God gains access to redirect and heal our body, mind, and spirit.
 
Fasting and prayer are traditional disciplines for the season of Lent. May we earnestly make space and clear the way for God so that we can be restored and discover more fully the desires of our soul.

Following is an author’s definition on fasting that is appropriate.

“Fasting is cleansing. It cleans out our bodies. It lays bare our souls. It leads us into the arms of that One for whom we hunger. In the Divine Arms we become less demanding and more like the One who holds us. Then we experience new hungers. We hunger and thirst for justice, for goodness and holiness. We hunger for what is right. We hunger to be saints. Most of us are not nearly hungry enough for the things that really matter. That’s why it is so good for us to feel a gnawing in our guts. Then we remember why we are fasting. We remember all the peoples of the world who have no choice but to go to bed hungry. We remember how we waste and squander the goods of this world. We remember what poor stewards of the earth we have been. We remember that each of us is called to be bread for the world. Our lives are meant to nourish. Fasting can lead us to the core of our being and make us more nourishing for others.” -Macrina Wiederkehr

Prayer: Holy God, We come to you in the emptiness of our body and soul and ask that you fill it with your love. Amen

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Sunday, April 2, 2017

Posted on Apr 2, 2017 in BLOG, Devotions |

Sunday, April 2, 2017

Prayer
 
You have set before us a banquet of life and love, loving God. Why is that too good to believe? Why is it even too hard to enjoy or imagine? You have promised us a gratuitous love and even called us brother and sister in your Son, Jesus. Prepare us to celebrate this feast by a life of generosity and joy. Teach us the way of love instead of the way of fear. Amen.
 
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Day 28: Saturday, April 1, 2017, #Lent Devotion

Posted on Apr 1, 2017 in BLOG, Devotions | Tags: ,

Day 28: Saturday, April 1, 2017
Tylor Cavender
Get in the zone!
Scripture: Acts 8:18-19 (NIV) When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”
 
Devotion: In chapter 8 of the book of Acts, we are told about a Samaritan named Simon. Simon was a magician who had gained a following by using flashy tricks. When Phillip came, he learned of Jesus, and began following Phillip, amazed at the miracles he performed. Then, the apostles Peter and John came to give the Holy Spirit to the people who had been baptized. Simon, being the person he always had been, thinking the same ways he always had, attempted to buy the ability to give the Holy Spirit. We’re not told about his motivations, but it’s safe to assume that when he was practicing his magic, he was doing it for the attention. Then, when he found a new kind of “magic,” he continued thinking like always in an attempt to get that attention he sought.
 
Being a coach, this story reminds me of sports. So many people participate with aspirations of becoming THE best. There are two things wrong with this sort of thinking. First, who are they doing this for? Are they doing it for their glory, or are they using their gifts to glorify God? Second, so many people never reach this goal because of the way they train. Many people might train as a runner by going out every day and running the exact same thing. In sports, much like in life though, if we always do the same thing, we will reach a plateau. Our abilities will level off and we will achieve no progress.
If we ever hope to find improvement, we cannot be content to be comfortable. We cannot find improvement in comfort. We need to step out of our comfort zones. It is uncomfortable to become a faster runner. It kind of hurts. A lot! Our walk with Christ is no different. We should be pushing ourselves to use our gifts in a way that we aren’t always at ease with, in order to bring glory to God.
 
The lyrics of the song “Voice of Truth,” by Casting Crowns is a great example of what it’s like to actually be uncomfortable. “Oh what I would do to have-The kind of faith it takes to climb out of this boat I’m in-Onto the crashing waves-To step out of my comfort zone-To the realm of the unknown where Jesus is.” I’m pretty sure that Peter wasn’t really okay with jumping out of the boat to go walk on the water with Jesus. It may have been a little bit “different” for him. But, he at least tried. He stepped out of his comfort zone and learned a valuable lesson in faith. We need to have the faith to step out of our comfort zone so we can learn the lessons that we are called to.
 
Prayer: Awesome God, help us to remember the example of Simon. Help us to remember that we must step out of our comfort zone and into the realm of the unknown where Jesus is. Help us strive to be a living example discomfort so that we may glorify You. It is in Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
 
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Day 27: Friday, March 31, 2017, #Lent Devotion

Posted on Mar 31, 2017 in BLOG, Devotions | Tags: 

Day 27: Friday, March 31, 2017
Rev. Sela Finau
 
Freewill
 
Scripture: Proverbs 16:9 (NRSV) The human mind plans the way, but the Lord directs the steps.

Devotion: One of the greatest gift of God to humanity is freewill. We are able to choose our own attitude and direction in life. Sometimes we don’t always make the right choice. We rush to make decisions or have the wrong motives. We even sometimes choose not to choose and the consequences haunt us for our indecisions.

Sometimes the problem with choices is that there are too many and no clear understanding of which way is right and which way is wrong. Other times, we may feel that we have no choice. God gave us the gift of freewill so we can make wise choices. Through guidance from the Bible and the Holy Spirit, we should be making the right choices. When we feel we have made the wrong choice, we can ask God to help us choose again and direct our steps. We do not have to be stranded in the desert or in the middle of nowhere. We can always find hope in asking God to redirect our steps and to bring us back on the right track.

During the season of Lent, if you are on the wrong track, simply ask God to redirect your steps and help you get back on the right path.

Prayer: Holy God, we give you thanks for gifting us freewill. As we make plans for our life, help us to stay on course. Amen

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Day 26: Thursday, March 30, 2017, #Lent Devotion

Posted on Mar 30, 2017 in BLOG, Devotions |

Day 26: Thursday, March 30, 2017
Shelly Mosher

Refuge in Darkness

Scripture: Psalm 91:1-2 1 (NIV) Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.

Devotion: Lately, my trust in humans has been broken. My marriage of 27 years is gone. Betrayal, anxiety, anger, grief, emptiness. And yet, with every step God has carried me through the darkness. My trust in God has increased as my trust in others decreased. I have learned to fully rely on God to provide refuge. When there was no way, God forged a new path. When there was no forgiveness in my heart, God has found a way to soothe the bitterness and hurt. I am still not 100 percent. I am still finding my way in this new territory, but I know that God will deliver me through this time. God has promised and in God I trust.

Prayer: Lord God, today we pray for those who are grieving the loss of relationship. Help them to find refuge in you, fight their battles for them and send your angels to lift them up.

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Day 25: Wednesday, March 29, 2017, #Lent Devotion

Posted on Mar 29, 2017 in BLOG, Devotions | Tags: ,

Day 25: Wednesday, March 29, 2017
Rev. Sela Finau
 
Planters
 
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 3:6-10 (NRSV) I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. The one who plants and the one who waters have a common purpose, and each will receive wages according to the labor of each. For we are God’s servants, working together; you are God’s field, God’s building.

Devotion: I’ve heard it said that a life of faith is a life of seed planting, and most of the time, the planter is not around to see the seeds bear fruits. Pause on that for a moment. I thought of how it was never my intention or goal to go into seminary and ministry. But one thing led to another and I ended up in seminary, still with no plans of going into ministry, but with the aspiration to learn about the history of Christianity and my faith origin. It was in seminary that I began to realize that I didn’t end up in the classroom by serendipity and that I wasn’t just there to get an education or to fulfill my inquisitive mind. Rather, God was calling me into ministry, a seed that was planted years ago, and had taken roots in my family tree.

Many of my family members had been and continue to be in ministry, in the Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga (Methodist), either working as pastors, educators, or administrators for the church. Church in Tonga is very influential on pretty much everything, from politics to its way of life. My grandparents were ministers in the church and my great-grandparents and great great-grandparents were placed into exile when Christianity first arrived in Tonga because they chose to follow the new religion and Christianity had not yet been accepted as the country’s official religion.

The seeds that my parents and family instilled in my life growing up years ago are bearing fruits. While I wish that they were alive today, I’m grateful for their seed planting. Likewise, we’re doing the same in others’ lives, planting seeds. Maybe we’ll be around to see it bear fruit or maybe we won’t. But God pushes us forward to plant anyways and not be so eager to see the results. May we be reminded that planting seeds requires time to grow. This Lenten season, may you continue to grow in your faith, and may you continue to plant seeds in someone else’s as we remember our Lord who calls us to be planters.

Prayer: Creator God, Thank you for the seeds that you have planted in people’s lives. Thank you for making it grow. Amen

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