LIFE INSPITE OF..

INVOCATION....  d365.org (Chris Cherry)
Life is full of disappointments. There's enough sadness around for everyone to know the hardest times that humans can experience.

The way of faith doesn't deny suffering and struggle, it simply recognizes that difficult experiences are not the end of the story.

No, God's way of "doing business" is to redeem every situation, to lift us up, to teach us, to help us grow. No matter your circumstances today, these gifts are available to you now.

SATURDAY, June 15  "Righteous-Living"
Psalm 146: 7c-10  (The Message)

God frees prisoners—
    he gives sight to the blind,
    he lifts up the fallen.
God loves good people, protects strangers,
    takes the side of orphans and widows,
    but makes short work of the wicked.

 God’s in charge—always.
    Zion’s God is God for good!
    Hallelujah!

Prisoners. Convicts and druggies.
Disabled. Blind.  Deformed.
Fallen.  Abused.  Neglected.
Homeless.  Unemployed.
Foreigner.  Stranger.  Bullied.
Widow.  Orphan.  Lonely. 
Poor.   Destitute.
Hard lives, Pain-filled lives.  
Are these the righteous?  The 'good' people?
Could be.  Could be you and me. 
Could be the family next door. 
God doesn't guarantee trouble-free. 
God assures his presence.
And that makes all the difference.
God brings us to LIFE
In spite of death.
In spite of hardship and pain.
In spite of suffering and loss. 
Righteous-living isn't easy
Without God. 
Hallelujah for God's presence!  


BENEDICTION     d365.org (Chris Cherry)
Resurrection is an every day kind of thing.
We celebrate it at Easter, each Sunday,
And, in fact, all the days in between.

Place no limitations on God's determination
To redeem your life regardless, of circumstance.
Live into the kind of faith that anticipates redemption.

FRIDAY, June 14  "Happiness Is..."
Psalm 146:5 (Common English Bible)
The person whose help is the God of Jacob—
    the person whose hope rests on the Lord their God—
    is truly happy!
     What makes one happy?  The response might include such things as winning the lottery or success on the golf course or tennis court.  Perhaps it is a campfire and s'mores with friends and family.  Dining pleasures, new gizmos and gadgets.  Perhaps a big promotion.  Linus of Peanuts would say a warm blankie. The list can go on and on.  In fact, I have a small book that lists 14,000 Reasons to Smile!  And in some ways, it is a good list to compile if you think of it in terms of blessings. 
     But Psalm 146 reminds us that the list is VERY short: God.  Happiness is the presence of God in our lives.  Nothing else can compare.  Nothing else is worthy of our total trust.  Hope and happiness comes from the Lord.  Happiness that will make the pain and trials of life endurable. You can bank on it.  

THURSDAY, June 13 "God-Foundation"
Psalm 146:1-4 (The Message)

 Hallelujah!
    O my soul, praise God!
All my life long I’ll praise God,
    singing songs to my God as long as I live. 

Don’t put your life in the hands of experts
    who know nothing of life, of salvation life.   
Mere humans don’t have what it takes;
    when they die, their projects die with them.

      'Don't put your life in the hands of experts' paraphrases Peterson in the Message.  He could go on to say 'don't put your trust in material wealth, celebrities, athletes,  or cultural mores' as well.  Things of this world are subject to human corruption, to the distorted way we build relationships and tear one another down.  Reliable and complete trust belongs with God and God alone.  If God is at the basis, the foundation, of every human relationship then the result is something we can bank our lives on!  And THAT is worthy of our ultimate praise, every day and in every way possible! 
      Go out with a joyful and grateful heart today seeking the places where a God-foundation results in a strong and healthy relationship of trust.  

(On the road today, so I shall post an old scribble for Psalm 146.  It doesn't quite emphasize the point of THIS devotion, but.....rejoice anyway!) 

WEDNESDAY, June 12  "God-Work"
Luke 7:16-17 (The Message)
They all realized they were in a place of holy mystery, that God was at work among them. They were quietly worshipful—and then noisily grateful, calling out among themselves, “God is back, looking to the needs of his people!” The news of Jesus spread all through the country.
God, you are daily at work in our world.
We dwell in the midst of holy mystery,
And so often fail to acknowledge the source. 
We credit luck or coincidence,
Good fortune or 'living right' 
When miracles large and small of 
God-at-work surround us.  
May we have eyes to notice,
Voices to joyfully praise,
Hands to participate,
And hearts to love as we
Become a part of your God-Work. 
You are here, God, among us,
Looking to our needs with compassion and love. 
May we do the same for each other
And thereby proclaim your presence to all.  




TUESDAY, June 11  "Tears to Hope"  
Luke 7:12-15 (The Message)
As they [Jesus and his disciples] approached the village gate, they met a funeral procession—a woman’s only son was being carried out for burial. And the mother was a widow. When Jesus saw her, his heart broke. He said to her, “Don’t cry.” Then he went over and touched the coffin. The pallbearers stopped. He said, “Young man, I tell you: Get up.” The dead son sat up and began talking. Jesus presented him to his mother.

Jesus transforms death to life, 
Despair to hope. 
The emotions are real; the suffering genuine.
But a touch, a word, a moment with the Lord
Can change everything. 
 Don't cry.  Rise up.  
Simple words.  Plain action.
The hardships might remain,
But we are equipped with a change of attitude,
A different perspective on life,
A vision of life inspite of tragedy.
Our tears give way to hope 
When we allow Christ to reach out
And touch us in love. 
We give that same hope to others
When we act in the Lord's name
And do the reaching.
Who among us needs transformation?
Who among us cries out for their
Tears to be washed away 
By the waters of Hope

MONDAY, June 10 "Last Dollar"
1 Kings 17:12-13 (Good News Translation)

She answered, “By the living Lord your God I swear that I don't have any bread. All I have is a handful of flour in a bowl and a bit of olive oil in a jar. I came here to gather some firewood to take back home and prepare what little I have for my son and me. That will be our last meal, and then we will starve to death.”

 “Don't worry,” Elijah said to her. “Go on and prepare your meal. But first make a small loaf from what you have and bring it to me, and then prepare the rest for you and your son.

     There is a drought.  People are starving.  God has fed Elijah by ravens.  Yet now God sends the prophet to a widow in Zarephath who is on the brink of starvation along with her son!  Elijah has the gall to ask her to give him her last loaf of bread!  Would we put our last dollar in the Salvation Army bucket while the pain of hunger gnaws in our belly?  That's what God, through Elijah, is asking of this widow.  He is asking for her obedience when it also means death for her son.  This is a woman who is not a Jew, she doesn't even believe in the one God!!! 
     Yet, she obeys.  She shares what little she has, feeding Elijah first.  Not out of faith in an unknown God, but because custom demands hospitality to the stranger.  How does the story end?   God blesses her daily with enough flour and oil to make the day's bread.  Blesses her with enough to live until the drought ends.  
     When we give when it hurts, that's when God responds to bring life....inspite of our pain. When the request seems so ludicrous, perhaps THEN is when God is at work and we need to obey! 

(This was not the d365.org scripture for today, but when I opened my Walk Through the Bible devotional book, the 1 Kings 17 passage was the text for June 10.  Not a coincidence I decided.... perhaps one more message from this text!) 

SUNDAY, June 9  "Wild Abandon"
Psalm 30: 4-5, 11-12  (The Message)
All you saints! Sing your hearts out to God!
    Thank him to his face!
He gets angry once in a while, but across
    a lifetime there is only love.
The nights of crying your eyes out
    give way to days of laughter.
You did it: you changed wild lament
    into whirling dance;
You ripped off my black mourning band
    and decked me with wildflowers.
I’m about to burst with song;
    I can’t keep quiet about you.
God, my God,
    I can’t thank you enough.

Disappointment and despair,
Struggle and suffering,
Poverty and pain,
Hurt and humiliation.
All are part of our mortal life.
Low points when we question
   from the depths of our soul.
But you, O God, are our redeemer.
You can take EVERY situation,
And transform it to blessing, 
In some way, in some manner.
May we seek the laughter in your love
And find the opportunity for faith  
That lies hidden in the somber cloth of death. 
In the black of our nights,
Bring us to the joy of the morning,
And the chance to celebrate your love
With wild abandon. 

SERMON NOTES  1 Kings 17:8-16  Rev. Katy  

• Katy retells the story from the perspective of the unnamed orphan boy. 
• The truth of the Lord brings life to the dead, food to the poor, and joy to the grieving. 

This scripture was the basis for a devotional message last fall under the theme of God's abundance.  I would like to include today the scribble and poem from that post.  

Let go of our fears
Release the worry
That we might run out. 
Share first and
Our well will not run dry. 
Risk to have faith and
God will surprise us in
Unimaginable ways. 
It begins with giving,
Without question or doubt. 
Bread for all.  
Justice for all. 
Life for all.