Pentecost Devotional

“Caring for God’s Creation”

On Sunday mornings before church, we usually listen to the local NPR station. Garrison Keillor does a segment and he always closes by telling his listeners to “do good work”.

God Himself does wonderful, careful work in His creation. In nature we see intricate detail – the universe which is infinitely large; atoms and sub-atomic particles which are infinitely small; the delicate balance of plants and animals supplying each other with oxygen and carbon dioxide. God has carefully created everything to be interconnected and balanced, so that all life can thrive in a last¬ing, sustainable way.

I can imagine Jesus as a young carpenter before He began His ministry. I am sure that He, too, did exquisite work as He crafted useful items from pieces of wood.

Maybe you are in a service profession. If so, “doing good work” shows real caring and concern for the people you deal with, whether they are customers or co-workers. What a joy it is to work with someone who really cares and does outstanding work!

Maybe you are involved with making things, turning raw materials into finished products that people need and enjoy. “Doing good work” not only cares for your customers, but also makes good use of natural resources that God has given us. Poorly constructed products soon end up in a landfill, making very poor use of our resources, whereas well constructed things may be used and enjoyed for many years.

As you go about your work today, think about how doing your best work really does show caring for God’s creation.
- Debra Nice

Stewardship of Creation – July 4, 2011

What does it mean to be a good steward of creation?
We human beings all have a responsibility to care for the earth, to be good stewards of God’s creation. There are many aspects of caring for creation, including recycling, reducing waste and pollution, conserving energy, preserving natural habitats, repairing damaged ecosystems, distributing resources such as water in a way that benefits the common good, just to name a few. Yet, with so many important aspects to consider when caring for the earth, how do we know where to start? How do we know if we’re being good stewards? We fulfill our stewardship responsibility by living our lives in ways that create a sustainable world for the sake of people all over the world today, for future generations, and for all of God’s non-human creations. Being a good steward is like borrowing your neighbor’s car. You will do your best to return in as good a condition as when you borrowed it.
Typically writers on this topic focus on various ways of taking care of our environment. But I want to make this writing more personal. So I sat back and thought about the person in my life that most exemplified “taking care of God’s creations” and one outstanding individual leaps out of my thoughts. She is a Master Gardener. She has traveled the country and the world to share the beauty of Atlanta gardens and to bring beauty back to Atlanta that she found. She has led (and I think might have been a founder of) the Hydrangea Society that now has members around the world. Her gardens were on the cover of “Better Homes and Gardens” Magazine. She has shared her passion, time, creativity and God’s gifts with too many people to count, and has created stunning beauty for us to better know God’s gifts.
But, I was stunned recently when I learned that our Master Gardener’s grandson was born with some pretty severe health issues. He is and always will be special needs. His mom has some issues herself and having another child may be problematic, but clearly she will always be the best mom a special needs boy could ever have. Her husband has just had his 18th stent put in, has by necessity retired from his job, and is obviously concerned about his remaining days on this earth. The Master Gardener is the strength of the family—the matriarch—the one they all depend on to be there. But she too has had 2 knee replacements and one other surgery in recent years. But still gardens on.
One of the things I am personally called to do to be a good steward of God’s creation is to pray for the continued strength of our Master Gardener and to support her on her life’s journey. What are you called to do today to be a good steward of God’s creation?

Pentecost Devotional – “Sabbath Rest”

Even God took a day off!

Six days God worked. When God was done, there was a good and gracious creation that reflected a good and gracious God. “And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1: 31)

And then God took the day off.
Day 7 – God rested.

Was God tired? Had God had a bad day? Did God just need time away? Or was it something deeper than that?

I think God took day 7 off as a model of how we should live.

Sabbath rest. It is one of God’s greatest and most overlooked gifts. God built Sabbath rest into creation because God knew we needed it. We need time away. We need rest and refreshment. We need time to be with ourselves…our God…our loved ones.

Sometimes Sabbath rest comes in days. Days when we don’t go to work…don’t answer our emails…don’t log onto the internet.

Sometimes Sabbath rest comes in weeks. Weeks when we take vacation – to the beach or the mountains or just someplace other than where we normally go.
And sometimes Sabbath rest comes in bits and pieces. 10 minutes here. A coffee break there. A walk in the woods. A nap in our favorite chair.

There are many forms Sabbath rest can come in. What is sad is when it doesn’t come at all. When we forget about God’s great gift. When we are too busy to take care of ourselves.

So don’t forget about it. Don’t lose sight of the days and weeks and moments when you look out for you. Don’t feel guilty about them – they are a gift from God!

During your times of Sabbath rest, you might want to consider 3 questions:

 Of all the gifts that God has given me, which ones am I most thankful for?
 How can I use my life so that it becomes more a gift to God and somebody else?
 What one thing can I do for me now that will give me rest and refreshment?

Sabbath rest.
It is a gift of God.
Remember it – and keep it holy!

Easter Devotional for June 6, 2011

EASTER DEVOTIONAL

For the past few weeks, we’ve been talking about specific ways for each of us to share our faith – in our daily lives, at home, and in our neighborhoods. To conclude this series, I’d like to talk about several ways we can share our faith during times of struggle and pain. Again, I am using “Invite – Using Faith In Daily Life”, a 4-week study put out by the ELCA.

Sharing Our Faith in Times of Struggle

We all face times of difficulty. The question is “How do we handle them?” and “How can we both SEE and BE the presence of God in the middle of them?” It’s during times like these that people most need to see and be assured of the presence of God in their lives and that, in fact, God IS there – not absent from, but right smack in the middle of the pain and darkness. What can we do to help people to catch a glimpse of that presence, and/or us to catch a glimpse of it too? Here are some suggestions…

1. When someone you know is struggling, the best thing you can offer them is a list¬en¬ing ear. It tells them you care. It tells them you will be there for them. Listen to their stories, to their doubts, to their questions. Don’t be afraid of them. We don’t have to be the Shell Answer Man. It’s not answers people really want. Sometimes there are no answers to why pain and darkness comes. What people want to know is that some¬body cares. That God cares. That they are not alone in their time of need.

2. Tell how God made His presence known to you when you were struggling. This is a
wonderful time to witness to your faith. Share how God touched your life through people and places and events you least expected it. People will start to look for God’s presence in their lives when they hear that God was present in your life.

3. Make a meal, bake a pie, offer to cut the grass for somebody in need. Jesus once
talked about the value of a simple cup of cold water. It’s the little things in life that God can use to bring about marvelous miracles. I know a person who came back to church and ultimately became the president of her church council – and it was all because of an apple pie!! In the hand of God, something as simple as an apple pie can work miracles.

4. Prayer for and with the person in need. There is a power in prayer that is beyond our
comprehension. Prayer connects people with God and God with people. And praying with a person is particularly powerful. To say, “I’ll be praying for you” is a great thing. To say, “Can I pray with you right now?” is especially meaningful. It creates an opportunity for a sacred moment of communication with God. And those kinds of moments can change people’s lives!

Sharing our faith does not take a seminary degree. It does not take extensive know¬ledge of the Bible. It doesn’t even take a great deal of time or money. What it takes is love…caring…and a desire to build God’s kingdom. And miracles can and will happen as a result!

Easter Devotional – Sharing Our Faith

EASTER DEVOTIONAL – SHARING OUR FAITH IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS

Sharing our faith, telling the Easter story – we’ve talked about how to do that in our daily lives and at home with our families. Let’s broaden it to now include our neighborhoods. How do we do it there? Again, I am using “Invite – Living Faith In Daily Life” – a small group study put out by the ELCA.

What would it be like to share our faith, let our light shine, in the neighborhoods in which we live? Some suggestions…

1. Host a neighborhood gathering when someone new moves into the neighbor¬hood. It’s all about relationships. Getting to know somebody, beginning a rela¬tionship with them, is the necessary first step to sharing faith. It’s much easier to bring a friend to Jesus after you have in fact become their friend. It’s the old saying, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

2. Figure out ways how relationships can be built in your neighborhoods. Block parties, after school activities, sports activities, the list can go on and on. See #1. The more we focus on deepening our relationships with our neighbors, the more we can even begin to intro¬duce issues of faith into those relationships.

3. Once those relationships are established, suggest that a neighborhood small group Bible study be started. Many people are a bit leery of “church”, but just as many people are longing to learn more about Jesus and how a relationship with Jesus could make a differ¬ence in their lives. Remember, the goal is not bringing a person to church; its bringing that person into a deepening relationship with Jesus.

4. Find creative ways to help neighbors in times of need. Yard work. A meal. A tele¬phone call. A listening ear. The best witness to faith are not the words we use but the actions we share.

5. When the time is right, invite a neighbor to church. Bringing them with you is a great deal more effective than suggesting they meet you at church. Again, it’s all about relationships.

Simple ways to deepen relationships and share faith in our neighborhoods.
If you would like some more, let me know.

Next Week – Sharing Faith in Times of Struggle and Pain.